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Great Wall of China

  • Great Wall of China
  • Great Wall of China was an ancient gigantic defensive project. It is one of the largest construction projects ever completed. Great Wall is one of the greatest wonders of the world. The Chinese call it 10,000-li Long Wall.

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  • ID : 8
  • City : Beijing
  • English name : Great Wall
  • Chinese name : 长城
  • Type : Great Wall,
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  • Distance to city center : 70-150 km

Introduction

  • Great Wall of China was an ancient gigantic defensive project. It is one of the largest construction projects ever completed. Great Wall is one of the greatest wonders of the world. It winds its way westward over the vast territory of China from the bank of the Yalu River and ends at the foot of snow-covered Qilianshan and Tianshan mountains. It is seldom that we see such a gigantic project in China or elsewhere in the world. The Chinese call it the Wall of 10,000 li. Its size is better seen on a map or from an aerial photograph. According to astronauts who looked back from the moon, of all projects built by man, the Great Wall of China is the most conspicuous seen in space.

Highlights

    Badaling Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall, Jinshanling Great Wall, Gubeikou Great Wall, Juyongguan Great Wall, Simatai Great Wall

Admission

  • high season : 60 RMB/person.
  • shoulder season : 60 RMB/person.
  • low season : 60 RMB/person.

China Great Wall Tour

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  • History of Great Wall
  • Earliest Period Construction of the Great Wall first began in the seventh sentry BC. During the Warring States Period (475-221BC), when the ruling power of the Zhou kingdom declined, principalities sprang up and carved up the country into many states, rivaling each other. The main kingdoms were Qin, Qi, Chu, yan, Han, Zhao and Wei. To defend against the attack of neighboring states, the principalities built great and high walls in their own domains.
    It was the Chu state which was first to construct several hundred kilometers long wall in mid-7th century B.C., referred to as fangcheng (square city) in Chinese literature. This fangcheng was said to be in the intersection between Hubei, Shaanxi and Henan provinces.
    About 4th century B.C. the northern parts of the three principalities Of Yan, Zhao and Qin happened to border on the nomadic Xiong Nu and Dong Hu, with whom frequent contacts had been kept and border incursions frequently occurred by the nomads, which seriously disturbed normal life. "Long walls to defend against the Hu" were thus constructed by the three principalities in the north. The high walls and fortresses constructed by three kingdoms of Qin, Zhao and Yan against the nomadic tribes laid the foundation for the present Great wall.
    The Great Wall is different from ordinary city walls in that it extends itself continuously for miles and does not encircle a city. There were a series of castles of a defensive nature or defense works in which each state stationed guards in their own domains to watch the beacon fire. Gradually, however, they were linked up into a great wall.
  • Great Wall in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC) 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, totaling over 5,000 km (10,000 li). The most magnificent engineering project of ancient China--the imposing long wall of 10,000 li thus made its 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.
  • Great Wall in the Han (202 BC-220 AD) and Tang (619 AD - 907 AD) Dynasties The Great Wall of China was continuously built during the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). It was extended towards the west to Lop Nur Lake in today's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. And an outer Great wall was added to the north of the Qin Great Wall. With its system of fortifications and beacon towers, the Han Great Wall reached a total length of about 10,000 kilometers.
    Since the Han, various dynasties, including Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang Dynasty, rebuilt the Great Wall on extensive scale. With the expansion of the Tang Empire (618-907AD), the frontier was pushed further north, and the Great Wall ceased its function for almost 300 years.
  • Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) The last large-scale construction of the Great Wall of China was carried out in the Ming Dynasty. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming dynasty with its capital in Nanjing. To secure the northern territories from the remnant Mongol forces, he sent his General Xu Da to build up the great wall at the Juyong pass and other strategic points in the first year of his reign. The Ming Great wall had a total length of more than 6,000 kilometers. It stretched from the Yalu River in Liaoning Province in the east to Jiayu Pass in Gansu Province in the west.
    The old wall made of rock and clay was largely replaced by a wall of evenly-sized stone blocks and bricks. Beacon towers were erected on both sides of the wall, mostly at the top of the mountains or the turns of the ground to signal warning messages with smoke during the day and fire at night. Watch towers were located at regular intervals on the wall. In the middle of the towers there were small living quarters for the defence soldiers. On the upper part around the tower were holes for shooting arrows. The whole Great wall constituted a complete defense system of strategic significance.
  • Great Wall in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912) In the wake of the development in politics and in military situation during early-Qing Dynasty, especially during the reign of Emperor Kang Xi, Qianlong , a policy of control through conciliation was adopted by emperors, whereby Mongolian and Xinjiang princes and nobles were brought under control by a show of conciliation. Then, emperors didn't continue the building of the Great Wall. That's also the reason why the mountain Resort and the Eight Outer Temples were built in Chengde, Hebei Province.
    The changed policy of the Qing rulers was testified by many historic accounts at the beginning of the dynasty:
    First is the building of a huge summer resort for the emperor in Chengde. It is just this policy that saved tremendous amount of expenditure which would otherwise have to be used to build the Great Wall.
    When Emperor Kang Xi inspected the eastern sea, he wrote a poem, criticizing Qin Shihuang for building the Great Wall. In the Poem he explained the reason for his own policy not to rebuild the Great Wall:
    "so many laborers were conscripted in pursuit of an exaggerated aim--to no purpose. The wealth of the people was exhausted. Yet the empire, meant to last for ten thousand years, did not last long." "only great pass survives in the old site and only the surviving form makes the territory grand and imposing."
    It was decided not to repair or rebuild the Great Wall, except to repair certain city wall within pass as well as mountain pass along the unified wall for purposes of inspection of the whole defence work.
    The royal house of the Qing built a border wall called Liu Tiao Bian or Willow Wall to confine activities of the nomads in certain part of the territory. It repaired some parts of the Great Wall to put down insurrection by people. These, however, are in no sense the same as the original Great Wall.
  • Name source of the Great Wall
  • Great Wall of China is also called "Wan Li Chang Cheng" in Chinese or "the long wall of 10,000 li" in English.
    In early days, many a great wall had been built -- north, east, west and south -- over the vast territory of China. Each stretches several hundred kilometers in length. The Chinese name "Chang Cheng" or long wall came into existence because of its length. Chang Cheng (Great Wall in Chinese), which extends through North China, is very magnificent. As the Great Wall was reconstructed --in Qin, Han and Ming Dynasties -- its length exceeded 5,000 km (10,000 li). Hence the name "Wan Li Chang Cheng" or "the long wall of 10,000 li". Actually, the long wall of 10,000 li is more than its stated length. The Great Wall reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty alone exceeds 7,300 km in length. Most of the ruined silos of the Ming built wall remain to this day.
  • Total Length of the Great Wall
  • According to records put down in Chinese literature, as many as 20 principalities and dynasties took part in reconstructing the Great Wall. If we add the length of the wall built in each dynasty, the total comes to over 50,000 km. We find ruined sites of Great Wall in China's northwest, northeast, various provinces of North China as well as the vast stretch of land lying between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. In Inner Mongolia the Great Wall attains a length of 15,000 km (30,000 li) in all.
    The project of the long wall of 10,000 li certainly entails tremendous amount of construction work. According to a rough estimate of the bricks, stones, cubic meters of earth used to make the wall during the Ming Dynasty, it is said that with the material we can build a wall --one meter thick and five meters high, to encircle the earth once and we still haven't exhausted it yet. If the same amount of material is used to pave a highway five meters wide and 35 cm thick, it can encircle the earth three or four times. If we add the total length of the Great Wall built in successive Chinese dynasties, it can encircle the earth 30 - 40 times!

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    • Architectures of Great Wall
    • Defence work of the Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty was divided into architectures of differing grades, classes, forms and uses, such as fortressed town, castle, garrison city, mountain pass city, stronghold city, city wall, watch tower, wall tower and furnace mound (for making smoke as signal in case of invasion). These architectures are connected with each other and coordinate with each other, forming a complete network of defence projects. But they can be divided in to three parts: Mountain pass city, Beacon fire site and wall.
    • Mountain Pass City The mountain pass city is a major defence stronghold along the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. During emergency, top generals and high-ranking officers were stationed in the mountain pass city, whose location was considered to be of great importance. In order to control strategic point, using fewer soldiers to ward off the attack of large number of invading enemy, mountain pass city had to be built on top of mountain, cliff, deep gully or gorge. Sometimes it was in the bend of a river or gulf. It could also be a place where mountain and the sea meet. right selection of the location, therefore, is all important and may lead to excellent result.
      Mountain pass city constitutes a defence system by itself. The Juyongguan Pass, for instance, had been built in a 15-km gully surrounded by many mountains, where successive lines of defence had been set up. To the south is Nankou Pass. To the north are Shangguann Pass and Badaling Pass (Beikou Pass). Beyond Badaling are outposts: chadaocheng (city built on forked path), furnace or beacon fire site, city wall, etc.
    • Beacon fire site Beacon fire site were known by a score of names: feng sui, feng tai, yan dun, lang yan tai, ting, sui, etc. They were known as ting or sui or ting sui during the Han Dynasty. In the Tang and Song dynasties they came to be called feng tai. But they were known as yan dun or duntai in the Ming Dynasty.
      Beacon fire site is a place to make smoke or fire as signal to warn people of enemy attack during day or night. It is said that using dung of wolf to make smoke, the smoke can remain in the sky for a very long time.
      Therefore beacon fire site is sometimes known as wolf dung fire platform. Many passages in Chinese literature say "all over there are wolf dung smoke." which means that the war has spread to many parts of the country.

      Becon Fire Site is an independent high platform, with attached houses and facilities to make smoke or start fire, either on top or below the raised platform. Underneath the platform is the sleeping quarter for soldiers, stable and warehouse. The building materials and the structure of beacon fire site are the same as for other defence works. They are either built of stones or rammed earth or bricks and stones. They are roughly divided into four types:
      One type is built on two sides, close to the Great Wall.
      Another type is built outside the Great Wall, extending to faraway place.
      A third type is linked with royal prefecture, royal country the capital.
      The fourth type is linked to neighboring prefecture, county, mountain pass or fortressed town in the military zone.
      The raised platform is five zhang in height. The base is two zhang in width. The top is one zhang. The platform is round in shape. A round house covers the platform. The house measures one zhang six chi. It projects out three chi on one side, covered with planks.
      In the house are installed three furnaces, which project outside. Three more furnaces are built below. The furnaces are plastered with lime. Three places for fuel wood are erected. There are three ropes for lighting the fire. A small ladder is used. Windows are built in walls to watch enemy movement. A firing tube, flag, drum, two bows, a driving device for starting fire on flint, stones, wood, water jar, food provision, hemp, rocket, common artemisia, wolf dung, cow dung, etc. stand by.

      Beacon fire site is a very important defence installation of the Great Wall, forming itself into a complete network at early stage. Definite provisions have been laid down governing the selection of site, architectural form and the making of smoke or fire. The book "WuJing Zong Yao" written by Zeng Gongliang of the Song Dynasty, has a detailed account, in which he quoted Tang Dynasty beacon fire system and referred to a passage from chapter "Shou Ju Fa" in the book "Tong Dian" by Duyou of Tang Dynasty.
      A slip of bamboo (written by someone with a note in Han Dynasty) discovered in Dunhuang says that soldiers in the border region are not allowed to leave even an inch of ground in the beacon fire site. A provision laid down in the second reigning year of Cheng Hua says that it is deemed necessary to check on the soldiers in the beacon fire site and to provide adequate supply of dry hay. Constant watch is maintained day and night. During emergency smoke must be made by day and fire by night as' signal of military intelligence. This must not be violated. In case of victory those who send intelligence quickly will be rewarded. Those who fail to do so will be prosecuted under martial law. It can be seen from this that reward and punishment are duly maintained. The management of beacon fire site can be said to be very strict indeed.
      On account of the importance of military intelligence beacon fire sites were strictly managed during each dynasty. Soldiers of the beacon fire sites were not allowed to leave the site without permission for fear of failing to send military intelligence.
      As a result of political and military development, the Tang Dynasty did not adopt defensive measures and did not build the Great Wall to any great extent. Yet it did built many military townships. It summarized the beacon fire system of the Spring and Autumn Period, Warring States Period, the Qin and Han dynasties.

      Tang Dynasty introduced a complete beacon fire system, incorporating previous alarm signal systems. The Tang Dynasty system, including method of installation, architectural form, organization of beacon fire, kind of fire, regulations and methods of making smoke and fire, regulation of alarm raising and changing of guards, transmitting alarm signals, secret code -- all these were inherited and used by later generations.
      According to Tang Dynasty provisions there must be a beacon fire site every 30 li to be erected on mountains. In case too many mountains block the view, the distance can be altered. The beacon fire site should be located in a spot where three such sites come into view of each other. In border areas beacon fire site should be surrounded by protective walls. A key person is to be in charge, aided by a deputy. Nine persons are to work in the site. They should be chosen from among those who have families. The deputy supervises over the nine, who keep watch on enemy movement by turn day and night. One of them is in charge of the tally (used as proof for transmitting intelligence), who is relieved every two years. Smoke is made during day while fire is made at night. A lockout should be maintained to watch the tube to make sure that there is a signal coming out from the beacon fire site.
      Construction project of the Great Wall under the Ming Dynasty saw great improvement. The system of beacon fire site, the making of smoke and fire, etc. was also improved. Cannons were fired as an additional signal. Sulphur and saltpetre had been added to make it more effective.

      According to regulations laid down in 1466 or the second year of Cheng Hua, Ming Dynasty: a cannon shot was fired once and one beacon fire made when 100-200 enemy troops advanced on the border region. Two shots were fired and two fires lighted when 500 enemy troops invaded the territory. Three shots and three fires were discharged and made in case of attack by 1,000 enemy troops. Four shots and four fires were discharged and made when 5,000 enemy forces approached. Should over 10,000 enemy troops encroach upon the territory, five shots were to be fired and five beacon fires made. Sulphur and saltpetre having been added, the signals and military intelligence were sent more accurately and quickly.
    • The Wall (or rampart) The wall is the main construction work, connecting strategic mountain passes, towers and beacon fire sites into an integrated unit. The wall is built in accordance with the terrain. Its width and height vary from place to place. Take Juyongguan Pass and Badaling for instance. The body of the wall here averages 7 or 8 meters in height. It is 6 or 7 meters thick at the base. The top is 5 meters wide. The wall is therefore narrow at top and broad at base.
      Inside the body of the wall, not far away: is an arched gate, where stone or brick paved steps lead one to the top. The top is built with three or four layers of bricks, paved into road, 4-5 meters wide, which accommodates five horse or 10 persons abreast. A brick wall--one meter high, is erected inside the wall top, known as nver qiang or parapet. Outside is a 2 meter high battlement, each of which contains a small opening on top to watch over the movement of approaching invaders. Another small opening is found below from which arrows can be discharged.
      On the wall in the section of Shalingkou Pass (Jinshanling), Luanping, Hebei, we find layer and layer of battlements on two sides Of major watch towers, where observatory openings and arrow-discharging openings are found. This is used to enable defenders to climb to the top of the wall and make a last-ditch stand in case the enemy has broken through the defence. To avoid washing away of wall by rain, drainage and spouting openings have been installed.
    • Great Wall wasn't the former boundary of China, Why?
    • The Great Wall is a product of contradictions between various ruling cliques in ancient China. It is scattered in all direction--south, north, east and west. More than 20 walls had been built in some sections as reinforcement. Prefectures and counties were set up by the Chinese government since the time of Qin Shi Huang inside and outside the Great Wall.
      The Great Wall blunt during the Han Dynasty went northward beyond the limit of the Qin-wall by several hundred kilometers and even l, 000 km in some places. In Ming Dynasty Nuergan Du Si (a sort of provincial governmental institute) had been set up in a place now in the Soviet Union called Nicholayevsk, more than l,000 km from Shanhaiguan Pass. This was a Chinese organ dealing with military and civil affairs in the region. The Great Wall, therefore, had never been China's boundary. Nor was it a demarcation line for fixing administrative areas in China.
    • Military value of the Great Wall of China
    • Judging from the standpoint of modern warfare, the Great Wall cannot be said to be a defence network of any great military value. Nevertheless when man's chief military weapons were the sword, arrows, bows, ge (hook weapon) and mao (spear), the situation was quite different. The Great Wall offers excellent defence since it had been built in strategic places. It played an important role then. Many were instances in ancient times when it took a very long time to take a city or mountain pass. There were even cases when those who launched the attack had to retreat without a fight, when they saw the strong defence work of the city. In the Central Plain of China such firm and high defence work proved to be very useful to foil the attacks of mobile cavalry, which roamed from one place to another.
      As a result of continuous construction and making improvement by the Ming Dynasty the Great Wall became a perfect defence network, whereby the central Chinese authority could, by means of various administrative and military levels of organization, reach the basic or grass root military unit, down to each soldier guarding the Great Wall. The Ming Dynasty overthrew the Yuan, obtaining ruling power throughout the nation. The original rulers, however, only retreated to their former positions. They were not destroyed. This made it possible for them to make a come-back. Under these circumstances, the Great Wall became a major security issue for the Ming Dynasty.
      • Construction of Great Wall of China
      • Labor Force of building the Great Wall The labor force of building of the Great Wall is mainly derived from the following sources as we learn from Chinese literature:
        Garrison force is the main force. Qin Shi Huang (the first emperor of Qin Dynasty) dispatched senior general Meng Tian to construct the Great Wall with a force of 300,000 men after defeating the Xiong Nu. It took nine years to complete the project.
        Conscripted laborers: In 555 A.D. or the sixth reigning year of Tian Bao, Northern Qi Dynasty as many as 1,800,000 laborers were conscripted to repair a 450 km-long Great Wall from Xiakou Pass, Youzhou (now Nankou Pass, Juyongguan Pass, Beijing) to HengZhou(now Datong, Shanxi province).
        Convicts and persons sentenced to exile: In Qin and Han dynasties a special form of punishment was meted out to persons (convicted of crime) to build the Great Wall. Peiyin, who wrote commentaries on "Shi Ji" or Record of the Historian, quotes Ru Chun assaying that persons whose hair were shaved off and wore iron rings on neck were sent to build the Great Wall. These men had to watch over invading troops by day and build the Great Wall by night. The punishment lasted four years.
        Other forms of labor service set up under different names.
      • Methods for transporting building materials of Great Wall According to records and legends there are three kinds of methods for transporting building materials:
        1. Transport by manual labor
        Bricks, mortars and stones were carried on the back of man, by means of baskets, one piece of long Pole, etc. Men stood in a line to pass the material from hand to hand. This was done in narrow pathway to avoid people bumping into each other and to raise efficiency.
        2. Transport by simple mechanical means
        Handcarts, rolling logs, prizing, etc. were used even in those days. On mountaintops windlasses were installed, hoisting huge stones up from below. Cableways were another device, through which bricks, mortars, etc. were sent in basket. The cableway was made by fixing cables on two sides of the valley or gully.
        3. Draft animals
        Sheep and donkeys, which are good mountain climbers, were used to transport goods. Bricks and mortars were carried in baskets by donkeys. Bricks were sometimes tied to horns of sheep, which were driven up the mountains.
        The techniques of building bricks, stones, arched doorways, mortars, using a string with a brass knob on end to find level line -- these proved to be excellent devices. Judging from the fact the Great Wall still stands today-- 500 years after the Ming Dynasty, as a massive and magnificent structure it is a reflection of the excellent work of earlier builders, who commands our admiration.
        We may therefore say that every brick, every tile, every piece of earth, every stone had been built with the labor of the people. The massive construction project represents the ingenuity, wisdom and perseverance of the Chinese people in conquering difficulties.
      • Experience in building of the Great Wall Experience in choosing the terrain
        Stress is made on the choice of terrain in constructing mountain pass, beacon fire site, smoke-making platform and castle in order to gain strategy and save manpower and materials.
        This is called a way to utilize terrain and build massive fortification, mountain pass and beacon tower in strategic places. It is entirely in keeping with the principles of military science.
        The massive fortification between Liaodong (eastern Liaoning province), Shanhaiguan Pass and Juyongguan Pass were constructed along mountain ridges. Rocks and steep cliffs were therefore utilized. One look from the outside at many parts of the fortification seems to suggest that the Great Wall was located in very dangerous place indeed. Yet inside we find the walls were in level and low place. Defending the barrier the soldiers can easily repulse invaders and ascend or descend the wall without difficulty. It is easy to transport military supplies too. Some cliffs are used as walls, known as cliff wall and some steep places are used as walls, too. The enemy can hardly be expected to climb such precipitous ramparts. When the Great Wall reaches a big river or lake the natural barrier is again used for strategic purpose.

        Experience in using available materials
        To suit local conditions and use locally available materials" -- this is an experience gained in the course of construction. Since there are mountains, cliffs, deserts, loess regions, etc. a vast amount of materials are to be used. To avoid costly transport over long distances, builders and strategists mainly use earth and stone before using bricks. In places where stones are found in abundance, such as mountains and areas full of stones, stone is used. In loess regions rammed earth is used. In Yumenguan Pass and in Gobi Desert, Xinjiang region where only sand and pebbles are found but not stone or earth, walls of sandy soil are supported with layers of tamarisk twigs and reeds. The Great Wall built with just such materials has been preserved to this day in ruined sites in spite of the fact that over 2,000 years have elapsed.
        Blocks of stones faced with bricks are used to build the Ming Great Wall -- another example of using local materials. In tablets on Juyongguan Pass, Badaling and elsewhere we find accounts saying that bricks and stones are obtained locally by setting up kilns to make the building materials or from quarry.

        Experience in cooperating
        Different groups were responsible for construction of different sections of the wall. The construction of the Great Wall was by different groups of men held responsible for a certain section. The responsibility was clear and so was the work assignment, yielding excellent result.
        The section between Wuwei, Zhangye and Jiuquan in the Gansu Corridor was constructed by local prefectures, which subdivided the section and held men under their command responsible for the construction project.
        The Ming Dynasty Great Wall was constructed under commanders of fortressed towns, who subdivided the construction project into "in" and mountain passes. For major construction work prefectures, fortressed towns and even the central government mobilized troops and conscripted laborers to do the job from different parts of the country.

        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.
        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.
      • Different Sections of Great Wall
      • Great Wall can be found in many cities of north China, include Beijing, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Zhangjiakou, Xinzhou, Yangquan, Datong, Dandong, Suizhong, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan. Each part of Great Wall has its own feature.

        Beijing
        Badaling Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall,
        Jinshanling Great Wall, Gubeikou Great Wall,
        Juyongguan Great Wall, Simatai Great Wall,
        Huanghuacheng Great Wall, Shixiaguan Great Wall,
        Shuiguan Great Wall, Jiankou Great Wall,

        Qinhuangdao of Hebei
        Shanhaiguan Great Wall,
        Laolongtour Great Wall, Jiaoshan Great Wall,

        Dunhuang of Gansu
        Yangguan Great Wall, Yumenguan Great Wall,

        Xinzhou of Shanxi
        Yanmenguan Great Wall

        Yangquan of Shanxi
        Niangziguan Great Wall,

        Jiayuguan of Gansu
        Jiayuguan Great Wall,

        Suizhong of Liaoing
        Jiumenkou Great Wall,

        Dandong of Liaoing
        Hushan Great Wall,

        Zhangjiakou of Hebei
        Dajingmen Great Wall

        Jinnan of Shangdong
        Qi Great Wall

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    • Present Great Wall of China
    • Today, Great wall has lost its strategic importance and has become a world-renowned tourist attraction. The laboring people of different dynasties demonstrated their intelligence and wisdom while building this great project. They left behind a precious heritage deserving our everlasting care. Badaling section, Juyong pass and Cloud Terrace were listed as important historical monuments under special preservation by the Chinese government in 1961. The Great Wall was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world heritages.
    • Legends of the Great Wall of China
    • Zhou You Wang dally principalities by lighting the beacon fire Zhou You Wang, a king of Zhou Dynasty, was reported to have made fun of principalities by lighting the beacon fire to please his lover in the absence of real attack. It angered the principalities so much that when the enemy came and the fire was once more lighted, no one came to his help. The king was killed. This episode reflects the state of affairs then.
    • Story about Meng Jiangnu There is well-known story about a woman by the name of Meng Jiangnu. She went to mourn for her dead husband on the wall. She was so grieved that she kept weeping and wailing. All of a sudden, a section of the Great Wall collapsed. The story might be a legend, but is has been handed down from generation to generation.
    • Important Persons Related With the Great Wall
    • Tan Lun, President of the Board of War and Qi Jiguang, commander of Jizhen fortressed town (during the reigning years of Long Qing and Wan Li in the Ming Dynasty) contributed a great deal in the construction of the Great Wall.
      The high "fence" watchtowers are a new addition to the Great Wall, previously unknown. They were built by patriotic generals Tan Lun and Oi Jiguang. During the JiaJing reigning years, Tan Lun, the prefecture magistrate of Taizhou, Zhejiang province and later governor of Fujian, successfully defended China's coastal areas against invading Japanese forces with the help of Qi Jiguang, his chief officer.
      The book "Ming Shi" or History of the Ming Dynasty gives an account of one Wu Shilai, petitioning the emperor to appoint Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang to train Chinese soldiers. Tan Lun was given the post of commander of Jizhen. Liaodong and Baoding forces, where as Qi Jiguang headed the training corps of 30,000 soldiers from Jizhen, Zhending, Daming, Jingxing and elsewhere.
      The same book says that Emperor Mu Zong entrusted all military affairs to Tan Lun, who inspected the Great Wall. Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang outlined a plan to build 3,000 watchtowers from Juyongguan Pass to Shanhaiguan Pass in order to gain control over vital points along the defence line.
      When the watch towers had been completed, 9,000 soldiers from Zhejiang province were dispatched to station on the Great Wall. The border defence having thus been greatly strengthened, the enemies were no longer able to harass the border region.

      Qi Jiguang describes more detail in a book on military training about the building and use of watch towers. Previously, said Qi, the Great Wall had been built rather thin and low and had become dilapidated. Small stone and brick terraces were unconnected with the wall. Soldiers had to stand under glaring sunshine or in frost and rain and were given no shelters. It was difficult to send military supplies during an emergency. The supplies could not be stored in the wall, as no such facilities existed. When enemies came in great number, they could hardly shoot arrows at the enemies on a higher position. In view of this, it was imperative that watch towers with spacious rooms had to be built to block enemies from further advance. The watch towers were three or four zhang in height. The width was 12-18 zhang. The watch towers were connected with each other and could send reinforcement to neighbors. Watch towers were like fences standing on the Great Wall.
      According to Qi Jiguang the method of building watch towers was like this: There was to be a base, which was level with the edge, stretching out one zhang and five chi outside and five chi inside the wall. The middle layer was empty with windows for discharging arrows. The upper floor was a lockout turret, surrounded by battlements. The soldiers were to be hidden inside. The lower layer was the place where cannons were to be fired on approaching enemies. The enemies were now held at bay: their arrows could not reach the soldiers on top of the wall. Their cavalry dare not approach the Great Wall.
      Each tower was headed by an officer, who coordinated defence. The tower itself had a head officer and an assistant, in charge of logistics. On both sides were 30-50 soldiers. For every five watch towers there was a higher ranking officer. A still higher officer was in charge of ten watch towers. The military was well organized.
      "Ming Shi" has a chapter on the biography of Qin Jiguang which says that since JiaJing's reign there were no towers even though the Great Wall had been built. Qi Jiguang suggested to the emperor that towers should be built on the wall, with battlements all around. Each tower was to be five zhang in height. It was empty inside. One hundred soldiers could sleep in it, with provisions of food and supply of weaponry. Qi Jiguang said that plan for the construction of 1,200 towers should be drawn up by engineering corps.

      A recent study of actual sites reveals that over 1,000 km-Great Wall from Shanhaiguan Pass to Juyongguan Pass the structures of thousands of fence watch towers coincide with the description given in literature. In watch towers tablets have been found with writing of Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang. Similar towers are found in the section between Changzhen and Zhenbaozhen, built according to plans conceived by Qi Jiguang.
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