HistoryViewed by historians as a symbol of China's power and military strength, the Great Wall of China represents the work of thousands of ordinary men and women, many of who were forced to work on the Wall.  |
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The above image was found on nationalgeographic.com
China has had a long and tumultuous history marked by extended periods of political unity (Han, Ming, etc.), interspersed by periods of political upheaval and discord. There was frequent pressure from northern nomadic groups (Mongols and Huns), and power changed hands often. The Great Wall of China is a reflection of this tumultuous history. Spanning 2,700 years of Chinese history, the Wall was built by more than twenty states and dynasties.19
Covering a time period from the 11th Century BCE to 221 BCE, the Zhou Dynasty can be divided into two segments: Western, from the beginning through 771 BCE, and Eastern, from 770 BCE – 221 BCE. Additionally, the Eastern Zhou can be further divided into the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BCE – 476 BCE) and the Warring States Period (476 BEC – 221 BCE). This era was one of great strife. What is now known as modern day China was divided into seven states, each with its own king. Initially, the building of the Wall began as a project to set up defensive walls around each of the separate territories. The walls were independent at this point, and were not linked together. Additionally, these walls are now known as “pre-Qin” walls by modern historians, as they are considered predecessors to the Great Wall of Qin, who unified the segmented fortifications.
685-645 BCE Great Wall of Qi Zhou Dynasty/Spring and Autumn This is the oldest existing section of the Great Wall, estimated at a total length of 373 miles (600 kilometers). 19 While only sections dating back to 500 BCE still exist today, construction began in 685 BCE in the Spring and Autumn Period of the Zhou Dynasty. The fortification was built to defend against invasion by the Kingdom of Chu, and stretched from the present-day city of Jinan to the present-day city of Qingdao.
656 BCE Great Wall of Chu Zhou Dynasty/ Spring and Autumn Today covering the modern day provinces of Chongqing, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui and parts of Jiangxi and Jiangsu, the Chu Kingdom was so vast that it was equal to almost all of the northern states put together at the start of the period known as Warring States. In order to protect this huge territory, the Chu began to build a series of borders following the natural terrain from Luyang Pass in the southwestern area of the Lushan Mountains across the central plains. During this time, their walls measured about 300 miles (500 kilometers). 19 After falling to the Qin Dynasty, the Chu walls became useless, and few sections remain today.
476 BCE Great Wall of Qin Zhou Dynasty/Warring States Originally a weak state, the Qin built walls west of the Yellow and Luo Rivers. This Dynasty grew more powerful during the Spring and Autumn Period. The site can now be found in modern day Shaanxi Province.
369 BCE Great Wall of Zhongshan Zhou Dynasty/ Warring States Small but powerful, the Zhongshan State was aligned with the Qin and the Yan, experiencing many years of peace. However, to its southwest, the Zhao and Wei were a serious threat. The wall in this area was built to protect for this reason.
361 – 352 BCE Great Wall of Wei Zhou Dynasty/ Warring States To protect their people from the might Qin, the Wei built their wall in two sections: northwest and in the south. Originally covering an area in modern day Shaanxi Province, there are only a couple of sections remaining.
355 BCE Great Wall of Zhenghan Zhou Dynasty/ Warring States Originally built by the Zheng, this part of the Wall was continued by the Han after the Zheng were conquered. Named Zhenghan for this reason, this part of the wall connected to the Wall of Wei.
334 BCE Great Wall of Yan Zhou Dynasty/Warring States With only the sea to its east as a natural protection, the Yan State was under constant attack by the Zhou, the Qin and various nomadic tribes. During this time, the Yan built two walls, one to the north, in modern Liaoning Province, and the Yishui in middle China. Very little of these walls remain today.
333 BCE - 300 BCE Great Wall of Zhou Zhou Dynasty/ Warring States Built in two sections, the Wall built during this period was about 124 miles (200 kilometers) long. 19 The sections cover what is part of the Hebei Province and what is Inner Mongolia today.
221 - BCE Great Wall of Qin Qin Dynasty In 220 BCE, Zheng, the king of Qin, gained control. He used bribery, spying and military skill to conquer other kingdoms and create China’s first empire. Zheng renamed himself Qin Shi Huangdi, meaning “First Emperor of Qin”. During the Qin Dynasty, writing, weights and measurements were standardized. It was during this time that the concept of unifying all the fragmented fortifications into one large defensive wall to protect against invasions from the north. Because of this, historians consider Qin the inventor of the Great Wall. The wall exceeded 3000 miles (5,000 kilometers), thus the nickname Wall of 10,000 Li. 16 This unified state was known for its harsh methods of rule and the suppression of creative thought. He made tens of thousands of people work on projects such as the terra cotta soldiers, his tomb at Li Mountain, and of course, the Wall.
206 BCE– 220 CE Great Wall of Western Han Western Han Dynasty The Han Dynasty was a time of great prosperity, growth and achievement, defining imperial Chinese civilization for years. Liu Bang was the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, taking over after the Huns defeated the Qin Dynasty. Early Han administrators kept peace with the Huns by sending their princesses north to become Hun brides. Confucianism was established as orthodoxy. During this time, several parts of the Wall were built, including an extension into present day Inner Mongolia at Mount Yinshan, and rebuilding existing sections. Altogether, the Han built nearly 6220 miles (10000 kilometers) of the Wall to secure the passage to the western region – more than any other dynasty. 19
423 CE Great Wall of Northern Wei Northern Wei Dynasty To defend against the Rouran State, Northern Wei Dynasty emperor Ming Yuan Di built more than 620 miles (1000 kilometers) of the Wall from today’s Hebei Province to the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. 19
552 – 563 CE Great Wall of Northern Qi Northern Qi Dynasty In 550 CE, Emperor Wen Xuan Di overturned the Eastern Wei Dynasty and thus began the reign of Northern Qi. Xuan Di sought to banish corruption, stabilize the society and streamline his defenses. During a short time, Xuan Di built up the Wall comparable to the Qin Dynasty, including northwest sections in present day Lishi, along the range of Taihangshan Mountain, south and then eastward to the shores of the Shanxi Province. Workers for this portion of the wall are estimated at 1, 800,000, making this the largest expansion next to Qin and Ming. 19
581- 608 CE Great Wall of Sui Sui Dynasty China was reunified during the Sui Dynasty under Emperor Sui Wendi. Corruption, torture and forced labor were abolished, and the military system reformed. The first imperial-examination system was put into place to ensure fairness of assigning government officials. The Sui Dynasty thrived even though it was short-lived. The Wall to the north was repaired to defend against Tujue invaders. During this time, nearly 30,000 laborers also repaired and extended the eastern Wall from the Yellow River to the Shanxi Province and built more than ten fortresses in this same section. 4
908 CE Great Wall of Liao Liao Dynasty A small section of the Wall was built by the Liao Dynasty near the Bohai and Yellow Seas. Several fortresses and beacon towers were also constructed during this period.
1148 CE Ditches of Jin Jin Dynasty The Nuzhen nomadic people established the Jin Dynasty in 1115 to prevent invasion from the Mongols. During this time, two important sections of the Wall were built: the Mingchang Old Great Wall and the Mingchange New Great Wall. Both of these walls were created by first digging ditches and then building the walls within them. Thus, these sections are known as the Boundary Ditch of Jin or the Border Fortress of Jin. Combined these sections added 1243 miles to the Great Wall. 19 Many sites are still visible.
1368 – 1644 CE Great Wall of Ming Ming Dynasty Perhaps the most famous of the dynasties, the Ming Dynasty set the foundation for an authoritarian political culture. The leaders were inward-looking, and focused on an agrarian culture. There was a vibrant literary scene. It was during this period that the Wall reached its greatest extent, nearly 4,000 miles, becoming the world’s largest military structure. 19 The Emperor initiated efforts to transform the simple walls into a complex defense system, and added garrison towers, beacon towers, watch towers, cannon, blockhouses and passages at strategic locations. Additionally, two symbolic monuments were built: the First Door under Heaven at Shanhaiguan, located on the eastern end of the Wall, and the Last Door under Heaven at Jiayuguan. The Ming section of the Wall, acclaimed for its master masonry, extends east from Jiumenkou near the Yaliujiang River to Jiayuguan Pass in the west. The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty to build the Wall, and maintenance even ceased for more than 3 centuries. However, this section makes up for most of the Wall that we see today.
 The above image was found on www.greatwallofchina.info The image below was found on wwwchinareport.com The Great Wall Today:  |
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