Qin Great Wall

The earlier walls in the Warring States period, built sometimes in the east, sometimes in the west, were unconnected with each other. They were far inferior to the wall built by Qin Shi Huang. They are called pre-Qin walls by historians.

In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang defeated the other six kingdoms and established the first centralized feudal nation in Chinese history. He ordered to have the Great wall linked up and extended to ward of raids by the Huns. The project took more than ten years till the end of the Qin Dynasty in 206 BC. Historical records that about one million people, one-fifth of China's population at that time, were involved in the project.

To Protect the security of China, safeguard the people and production in the central plain, Qin Shi Huang sent his senior general Meng Tian (accompanied by Prince Fu Su who acted as supervisor) with a force of 300,000 to attack the Dong Hu and Xiong Nu in the north. At the same time,the senior general linked up the earlier northern walls of Yan, Zhao and Qin states by making additions and expansions. The walls extended from Lintao in the west to eastern Liaoning in the east, totalling over 5,000 km (10,000 li). The most magnificent engineering project of ancient China--the imposing long wall of 10,000 li thus madeits appearance in North China.

Qin Shi Huang made an inspection tour in the eastern sea, arriving at Qinhuangdao. A stone tablet called Jie Shi Ming in the island makes mention of this fact. A passage of the inscription says that the principalities having been annexed, China was at Peace. Interstate border walls had been destroyed. The strategic barriers were finally lifted.

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