History of the Great Wall of China
~ By Vimal Kodai ~
The Great Wall of China
Duke Qi Huangong began
the initial phase of the construction of the Great Wall of
China in 656 B.C. This was done in order to prevent invasions and
attacks that were undertaken by people from other neighbouring states. Duke Qi
Huangong (or, Duke Huan of Qi) ruled his kingdom in the state of Qi (nowadays,
known as the Shandong
Province). The attempt to
secure his people from invading neighbouring people from states, such as, Chu
State (found in the south of the state of Qi) were the prime objectives of this
Duke. Duke Qi reigned from 685 to 643 B.C.
Initial Map of the Great Wall of China
Further to this
initiation of Qi Huangong’s, princes and other reigning lords from other states
continued with the construction of the wall in order to keep up with the idea
of securing their people from invading neighbouring states. The wall extended
gradually, but it was not until the 3rd Century B.C that the real
and main structural construction was pursued.
Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi
Statue of Qin Shi Huangdi
During the Qin
Dynasty (221 to 206 B.C), China
was at war with its fierce enemies from Mongolia; namely, the Mongols, and other nomad barbarians from
tribes; such as: the Xiongnus, the Xianbeis and the Khitans. In the 3rd Century B.C, China’s emperor, Qin
Shi Huang (the very first ever Chinese Emperor) found that he had very few
alternatives other than to build a fortification structure which would prevent
those nomad barbarians from attacking his country.
Constructing The Great Wall of China
Forced Labour used in the process
Statue of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi
The land of the
present and old day Mongolia
where lived the nomads such as the Mongols,
Xiongnus, Xianbeis and the Khitans—tribes
and people whose land consisted mostly of desert (the Great
Gobi Desert),
led them to move southerly towards China. They were forcing into China while
attempting to find a suitable habitat, but Qin Shi Huang was not going to let
his people down and he made up his mind to maintain peace that reigned in the
three northern states of Qin, Zhao and Yan.
Nomads attacking the Northern parts of China
Map of The Great Wall of China during the Qin Dynasty
Map of China with all major attractions
Can The Great Wall be seen from the Moon? Answer: No, it can only be seen on radar pictures taken from space by satellites.
Some other features that are key to shaping the various dynasties of China
The Great Wall at various locations on the map of China
All the Provinces of China
The Great Wall of China with all the major dynasties that have helped shape it
Global atlas map of China (with The Great Wall in it)
Qin Shi Huang was the
one who kept up with the construction of this wall which was initiated by Duke Huan
of Qi. Emperor Qin would assure that such an attempt would be done with the
usage of rammed earth in the construction of the wall, that forced labour would
be used in the process, and that the erection of such a wall would protect the
three northern states of Qin, Zhao and Yan.
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
The general who was
in charge of the first constructions of the Great Wall, Meng Tian, said prior
to the end of his days that the whole purpose of building this wall was not simply
to prevent the intrusion of these barbarians, but the truth was actually more
profound and in-depth that what was being conveyed to the people of China. The
reality being that Qin Shi Huang used forced labour in the process of building
the Great Wall. The construction workers who perished during the construction were
buried inside the wall itself. And finally, Qin Shi Huang was involved in
making sure that this wall was worthy of its cause, whereby it did not really
fully protect his people in the end. The
Mongol, Xiongnu, Xianbei and Khitan tribes were quite successful in disturbing the peace in the northern
states despite all the efforts of putting such a wall on the scope.
The broken parts of The Great Wall
The broken parts of The Great Wall
The broken parts of The Great Wall
The broken parts of The Great Wall
The broken parts of The Great Wall
The General (Meng
Tian) was himself very willing to conclude that the Great Wall of China was
built on grounds that were not deservingly appropriate. The latter stated prior
to being forced to committing suicide (after the death of his Emperor Qin Shi
Huang) that the entire cause for building the Great Wall of China only served
one objective; that was breaking the ties with mother earth while trying to
spoil its beauty, and spilling the lives of thousands of construction workers in
the attempt of doing so. However, the magnificence and wonder which the Great Wall of China displays today proves that some of
its purposes were met.
