Find out about the great wall of China, a marvel of vision and workmanship.
In the 5th Century, B.C.E., China was a confusion of warring states, each one fiercely protective of its territory. From the North came the threat of nomadic Barbarian tribes, intent on plundering these individual states. In the midst of this turmoil, one of the smaller warring states, Chi'n, began a dominant campaign that would see it overthrow all but six of the other states. In 246 B.C.E., 13 year old prince Cheng became King over this now massive state and before long further conquests had made him the first ruler over all of China. The prince had become Ch'in Shih Huang Ti, Emperor of a united China. Ch'in would prove himself as a political genius. He centralized the Government, standardized the written Chinese language, reformed the monetary system and had extensive highways built.
In 214 B.C.E. the Emperor, who was terrified by death and invasion, hit upon the idea of enclosing his empire with a great wall. He envisioned a structure that would be 24 feet high and wide enough for eight soldiers to march abreast. He chose one of his best generals, Meng Tien, to turn his dream into a reality.
Meng mobilised his armies to get started on this massive undertaking. The wall was primarily built as a defence works, so watchtowers were required. These were placed two arrow shots apart. In all their would be 25,000 towers built. Where he could, Meng linked the new structure to existing walls built by the individual states. By its completion the wall would stretch for more than 10,000 kilometers. As the wall crept westward the builders found themselves in areas where there was very little in the way of stone. They were forced to use the fine soil that was available. Some sections were constructed by piling up this yellow soil - called loess - in wooden frames. In this way the wall marched onwards, covering great mountains, plunging deep into valleys and marching across burning desert plains.
Hundreds of thousands of laborers worked to the limits of human exertion to complete the Emperor's dream. The human cost - 400,000 workers lost their lives on the project. Thus, the Great Wall of China has been called "˜the longest cemetery on earth.'
Though apparently built for defense, historians have suggested that Ch'in was more interested in keeping his powerful army engaged in activity and, therefore, too preoccupied to contemplate overthrow. His plans, however, backfired. The strain on the masses led to a popular uprising in the South. The power struggle that followed left the Empire in ruins.
Today, the original wall is long gone. What tourists are treated to today was built in the 16th century by Ming Dynasty Emperor Wan Li.
