The Great Wall Of China

Have you ever wondered why China's population is so massive? Well it's all because of the Great Wall of China. 

The Great Wall of China was built by slaves of China. They were forced to leave their homes by the King Qin Shi Huang to build it without pay, which means they can be conspired as slaves. Many of them died due to over-exhaustion, diseases and other factors and when they lifted huge stones that were obviously not of their strength to carry. After they died, the workers were buried in pits around the Great Wall. No person was buried in the Great Wall. A decomposing body inside the wall itself would have caused the wall to deteriorate and fall apart. Many never say their loved ones again. However, Qin Shi Huang was wise to build the Great Wall as the ruthless Mongolians, the Chinese' enemies at that time, could have invaded China easily and killed many more people that anyone could have imagined. 

Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC; these, later joined together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.

Originally the wall was constructed as a barrier against invaders, such as the Manchus, who were upsetting the known world at one period. Watchtowers were built at regular intervals along the Great Wall and could be up to 40 feet tall. They were used as lookouts and fortresses as well as for housing garrisons of troops and stockpiled supplies. They were also signal stations, where beacons, smoke, or flags were used for messages.Today it is a tourist attraction. 

The Great Wall is 8 metres tall and 5.5 metres wide. It is 13,171 miles long and was made from materials such as stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials. The cost of this giant structure in 2013 would be $260 billion. But at that time it cost no money at all as the emperor Qin Shi Huang used slaves and paid them no money. 

The Great Wall has often been compared to a dragon. In China, the dragon is a protective divinity and is synonymous with springtime and vital energy. The Chinese believed the earth was filled with dragons which gave shape to the mountains and formed the sinew of the land.

I hope you have learnt more about the Great Wall of China. 

By Charlotte Cornwall