Joanna James
Everyone knows what the Great Wall of China is; where its located and that at 10,000 miles, it's the longest man-made construction in the world. The once defence wall, patrolled by the Emperor's military is today, a heritage site. Listed are some fun facts about the Great Wall of China.
That's right folks, the walls' distance measures half the length of the equator. Spanning a total of 21,196,18kms half of the equators' length this construction is one of mankind's greatest engineering feats. Juyongguan is one of the forts located on the Great Wall and the easiest most popular access for tourists visiting from a Beijing hotel. This area is around 60kms from the city and is a pleasant 1 ½ hours' drive from Pan Pacific Beijing. This point provides wheelchair access and is one of the most noted points of the Great Wall since Juyongguan is considered one of the greatest forts constructed for the defence of Beijing.
The Great Wall is in fact made up of many walls; these consist of forts and walls that were added along during the course of history. There are some points of the wall which are even thicker, almost double, while most of these sections continue, others get off the mainstream to continue on to different areas.
Many believe the Great Wall to have been built during the time of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259-210BC) On the contrary though, construction of the wall began during the spring and autumn period which was from 770 to 270BC 2,500 years ago. The Chu State is tipped to have built the very first fortification of the Great Wall in which was in the 7th century, while the final recorded construction was in 1878.
Legend links Emperor Qin Shi Huang to the construction of the Great Wall, and while it was not he who ordered the first fortifications to be built it was he who linked the many points along the way to form the Great Wall. The story revolving around this construction involves the emperor wanting to rule the nation forever, to serve the purpose he sent out his necromancer on a quest to seek immortality; however the magician returned unsuccessfully but with a rumour, the emperor's rule would be overthrow, via an invasion from the north. Frightened by this story, Qin Shi Huang then ordered the wall to be built linking all forts along the way, thus securing the northern edge.
The Great Wall is much more than a wall; historical records show the wall was home to fortifications, trenches, beacon towers, watchtowers, signal towers, fortresses for face to face battles and even barracks to house soldiers. A solid guard was provided to Beijing through the outer passes connected to the wall, consisting of Pianguan, Ningwu and Yanmen. Research more and you will discover further exciting trivia on one of the world's greatest constructions - the Great Wall of China.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
