Evidence of the experience in building the Great Wall

Introduction of Evidence of the experience in building the Great Wall

A stone tablet giving an account of the construction project at Badaling during 1582A.D. or tenth reigning year of Wan Li says:

Lu Wenyuan assumed command over the project from Juyongguan Pass to Shifosi, measuring 75 zhang and 2 chi long. A stone arched gate had been built. The project was completed by the army.
Here is a list of names of commanding officers responsible for construction work:
Liu Youben, commanding officer of Jinan Wei
Liu Guangqian, commanding officer of Qingzhou Zuo Wei
Zong Jiguang, commanding officer of Jinan Wei
Zhang Tingyin, subordinate officer of Feicheng Wei
The following commanding officers were responsible for kilns and quarries:
Zhao Congshan
Liu Yanzhi
Song Dian
Bian Yingchun
Zhao Guanghuan
Construction was completed in the tenth month of the tenth reigning year Of Wan Li.

A section of only 70 zhang (about 200 meters) and an arched stone gate were built by several thousand soldiers plus even more conscripted laborers, from which we also can get an idea of the difficulty of the building process.

There are many such stone tablets along the Great Wall. In a section 800 km long from Mutianyu, Beijing and in Jinshanling, Luanping, Hebei province and way down to Shanhaiguan Pass thousands of stone tablets inscribed with the names of Qi Jiguang and others are found. Practically every watch tower and every section had a tablet, which is a record,saying that certain people were responsible for the engineering work and for its quality.

Another amazing story
In Mutianyu another tablet gives an account of an officer who had been wrongly charged for embezzlement. It was later found that the quality and length of the constructed wall were in keeping with the required standard. The tablet was therefore erected to clear him of blame or guilt.