History The Chinese were already familiar with the techniques of wall-building by the time of the Spring and Autumn Period, which began around the 7th century BC. During the Warring States Period from the 5th century BC to 221 BC, the states of Qi, Yan and Zhao all constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. Built to withstand the attack of small arms such as swords and spears, these walls were made mostly by stamping earth and gravel between board frames. Qin Shi Huang conquered all opposing states and unified China in 221 BC, establishing the Qin Dynasty. Intending to impose centralized rule and prevent the resurgence of feudal lords, he ordered the destruction of the wall sections that divided his empire along the former state borders. To protect the empire against intrusions by the Xiongnu people from the north, he ordered the building of a new wall to connect the remaining fortifications along the empire's new northern frontier. Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources. Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. Contrary to the belief peasants were not buried inside of the wall as the stability of the structure would have been threatened once their bodies decomposed. There are no surviving historical records indicating the exact length and course of the Qin Dynasty walls. Most of the ancient walls have eroded away over the centuries, and very few sections remain today. Possibly as many as one million people died building the Wall under the Qin Dynasty. Later, the Han, Sui, Northern and Jin dynasties all repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the Great Wall at great cost to defend themselves against northern invaders. The Great Wall of China concept was revived again during the Ming Dynasty following the Ming army's defeat by the Oirats in the Battle of Tumu in 1449. The Ming had failed to gain a clear upper-hand over the Jurchen/Manchurian and Mongolian tribes after successive battles, and the long-drawn conflict was taking a toll on the empire. The Ming adopted a new strategy to keep the nomadic tribes out by constructing walls along the northern border of China. Acknowledging the Mongol control established in the Ordos Desert, the wall followed the desert's southern edge instead of incorporating the bend of the Huang He. Unlike the earlier Qin fortifications, the Ming construction was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth. As Mongol and Jurchen raids continued periodically over the years, the Ming devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the walls. Sections near the Ming capital of Beijing were especially strong. Towards the end of the Shun Dynasty, the Great Wall helped defend the empire against the Manchu invasions that began around 1600. Under the military command of Yuan Chonghuan, the Ming army held off the Manchus at the heavily fortified Shanhaiguan pass, preventing the Manchus from entering the Liaodong Peninsula and the Chinese heartland. The Manchus were finally able to cross the Great Wall in 1644, when the gates at Shanhaiguan were opened by Wu Sangui, a Ming border general who disliked the activities of rulers of the Shun Dynasty. The Manchus quickly seized Beijing, and defeated the newly founded Shun Dynasty and remaining Ming resistance, to establish the Qing Dynasty. Under Qing rule, China's borders extended beyond the walls and Mongolia and Manchuria were annexed into the empire, so construction and repairs on the Great Wall were discontinued. A counterpart wall to the Great Wall in the south was erected to protect and divide the Chinese from the 'southern barbarians' called Miao (meaning barbaric and nomadic). Condition While some portions north of Beijing and near tourist centers have been preserved and even reconstructed, in many locations the Wall is in disrepair. Those parts might serve as a village playground or a source of stones to rebuild houses and roads. Sections of the Wall are also prone to graffiti and vandalism. Parts have been destroyed because the Wall is in the way of construction. No comprehensive survey of the wall has been carried out, so it is not possible to say how much of it survives, especially in remote areas. Intact or repaired portions of the Wall near developed tourist areas are often frequented by sellers of tourist kitsch. More than 60 kilometres (37 mi) of the wall in Gansu province may disappear in the next 20 years, due to erosion from sandstorms. In places, the height of the wall has been reduced from more than five meters (16.4 ft) to less than two meters. The square lookout towers that characterize the most famous images of the wall have disappeared completely. Many western sections of the wall are constructed from mud, rather than brick and stone, and thus are more susceptible to erosion. Before the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from Earth or Taipa, stones, and wood. Characteristics During the Ming Dynasty, however, bricks were heavily used in many areas of the wall, as were materials such as tiles, lime, and stone. The size and weight of the bricks made them easier to work with than earth and stone, so construction quickened. Additionally, bricks could bear more weight and endure better than rammed earth. Stone can hold under its own weight better than brick, but is more difficult to use. Consequently, stones cut in rectangular shapes were used for the foundation, inner and outer brims, and gateways of the wall. Battlements line the uppermost portion of the vast majority of the wall, with defensive gaps a little over 30 cm (one foot) tall, and about 23 cm (9 inches) wide. Watchtowers and BarracksCommunication between the army units along the length of the Great Wall, including the ability to call reinforcements and warn garrisons of enemy movements, was of high importance. Signal towers were built upon hill tops or other high points along the wall for their visibility.

208 BC (the Qin Dynasty)

1st century BC (the Han Dynasty)

1138 - 1198 (the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period)

1368-1620 (from the Hongwu Emperor until the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty)

It was not always these dynasties. Some smaller bulding periods worked on the Great Wall, too.

The Great Wall of China is longer than the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is around 2300 km long, but the Great Wall of China is more than twice this length.

The one who built it - the Chinese. They have built the Great Wall Of China many years ago to protect their land from outside forces of barbarians. That was the main purpose of the Great Wall and so the Chinese themselves should protect and preserve the essence of the Wall.

There is a longstanding myth that the Great Wall of China is the only manmade object visible from space. It and several variations on the theme are great fodder for water cooler arguments. In reality, many human constructs can be seen from Earth orbit. Shuttle astronauts can see highways, airports, dams and even large vehicles from an Earth orbit that is about 135 miles (217 kilometers) high. Cities are clearly distinct from surrounding countryside, and that's true even from the higher perch of the International Space Station, which circles the planet at about 250 miles (400 kilometers) up. "You can see an awful lot from space," says astronaut Ed Lu, the science officer of Expedition Seven aboard the station. "You can see the pyramids from space, especially with a pair of binoculars. They are a little difficult to pick out with just your eyes." Egyptian pyramids have been photographed from space several times with standard digital cameras and high-powered lenses. The largest pyramid at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, is 745 feet (227 meters) wide and 449 feet (137 meters) tall. "With binoculars you can see an awful lot of things," Lu wrote via e-mail in fielding a question from an Earthbound space fan. "You can see roads. You can see harbors. You can even see ships; very large tankers on the ocean we can see using the binoculars." There are some surprises, too. "You can see airplane contrails, and occasionally at the end of an airplane contrail, you will see a glint of sunlight off the airplane," Lu says. "And very occasionally, you do see other satellites go by. It is kind of a neat thing to see." There are of course places in space from which you can't notice how humans have sculpted the planet. Apollo astronauts could not make out manmade features from the Moon, for example. And from Mars, Earth would appear to the naked eye as nothing but a bright "star" in the night sky. So what about the Great Wall of China? "You can see the Great Wall," Lu says. But it's less visible than a lot of other objects. And you have to know where to look. In fact stretches of the wall aren't even visible from China. They've been buried by sand for centuries. NASA has used space-based radar to map out hidden parts of the ancient structure. Lu is trying to get a picture of it, too, with a digital camera. "The weather hasn't cooperated," he says. "There has been a lot of clouds and haze over that area since I've been trying. But I hope to be successful before I come back down."

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall crosses about 32 province's. Becasue it is lobe it has to cross alot of provinces in order to keep on going.

The Great Wall of China is a very large wall that stretches from one end of China to the other. In fact, it is so big astronauts can see it from space! It was built to keep out Mongolian invaders. The Great Wall of China was most definitely a wall.

great wall of china

It could be said that the Great Wall of China twists and turns like a snake. However, it is mainly likened to a dragon that meanders.

Relax, take pictures, and look at the view! I have been there, and it is really fun to climb it. I say "climb" because it was built on mountains, so parts of it are really, really steep. There are also towers built on the wall, so it is fun to climb up in them. The landscape is beautiful. There are also vendors that sell you cute little souvineers.

There are exactly 3,705,405 square miles in China.

There are several reasons: * The Great Wall isn't an ordinary wall, just use to block the way, but a huge fortress. It has many watchtowers and barracks which can hold a lot of soldiers. * The Great Wall is large enough for soldiers to travel from one watchtower or barrack to another through it, so there no need to get down from it. In case of emergency, it save much time to deploy troops. * On the Great Wall, especially, on its watchtowers, there are lots of excellent points for observation. The larger the range of vision, the faster the reactions can be made. * The Great Wall is also use to communication between the army units in different barracks along it. When there comes the enemy, the observation post detect the situation first will light a signal fire to alert other observation posts. And signal fire will be lighted one by one on the nearest watchtower, until the whole garrison get the message. A soldier below the Great Wall cannot do this quickly. Hence, it is better for soldiers to garrison on the Great Wall than below it.

The Great Wall was built mainly by forced labor under Imperial decree. When people were needed to build or man the Wall, they were usually conscripted by the Emperor from the local populace, in effect defending their own homes. However, many slaves were also forced to work in the construction many of them died. The great wall was built to prevent invasion.

One lasting impact of the Great Wall of China was that it brought fear to any one who would threaten China. The wall protected the people of China and helped them defend the country against an invasion by the Manchu in 1600.

In Chinese history, the Great Wall played an important role in preventing the central plain from nomadic invasions. From that standpoint, it also deserves the adjective 'great' in its name.

Beijing. You have to drive north so u can go to the great wall of china.

go it from here.....

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http://cruises.about.com/cs/destinations/a/beijing_4.htm

Yes

The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500 miles) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

It is almost 40- 50 ft tall wall with 3-4ft of width...on the top of wall it is covered with high voltage electric wires...surrounded by prison police checkposts...prison life is not a bed of roses.....prison is a high alert security area so the security of prison is

No, it was to keep out invading armies from the north.

Man made. They represent the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emporor of China.

there were 212 watch towers on the Berlin wall

It made the world a smaller place. And made it bigger at the same time.

The answer is "The Great Wall of China impacted the world very slowly," since the verb impact really means "to run into something, or to hit it." Slow building, laying a few bricks at a time.

If you meant "How did the Wall affect the world?" the answer is "Only symbolically," as all such efforts do, being a sign to its enemies that the State was weak and a reminder to its people that the State was heartless.

As with most facts about the sphinx, this is not known, but it would have been many thousands.

To protect china from northern invaders which are called mongolians