Why was constructed the great wall of china

In some strategic areas, sections of the wall overlapped for maximum security including the Badaling stretch, north of Beijing, that was later restored during the Ming Dynasty. From a base of 15 to 50 feet, the Great Wall rose some feet high and was topped by ramparts 12 feet or higher; guard towers were distributed at intervals along it.

After the fall of the later Han Dynasty , a series of frontier tribes seized control in northern China. The most powerful of these was the Northern Wei Dynasty, which repaired and extended the existing wall to defend against attacks from other tribes.

The Bei Qi kingdom — built or repaired more than miles of wall, and the short-lived but effective Sui Dynasty — repaired and extended the Great Wall of China a number of times. With the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang Dynasty , the Great Wall lost its importance as a fortification, as China had defeated the Tujue tribe to the north and expanded past the original frontier protected by the wall. During the Song Dynasty, the Chinese were forced to withdraw under threat from the Liao and Jin peoples to the north, who took over many areas on both sides of the Great Wall.

Though the Great Wall held little importance for the Mongols as a military fortification, soldiers were assigned to man the wall in order to protect merchants and caravans traveling along the lucrative Silk Road trade routes established during this period. Despite its long history, the Great Wall of China as it is exists today was constructed mainly during the mighty Ming Dynasty Like the Mongols, the early Ming rulers had little interest in building border fortifications, and wall building was limited before the late 15th century.

Under the strong hand of the Ming rulers, Chinese culture flourished, and the period saw an immense amount of construction in addition to the Great Wall, including bridges, temples and pagodas.

The construction of the Great Wall as it is known today began around After an initial phase of territorial expansion, Ming rulers took a largely defensive stance, and their reformation and extension of the Great Wall was key to this strategy.

All six passes were heavily garrisoned during the Ming period and considered vital to the defense of the capital. In the midth century, the Manchus from central and southern Manchuria broke through the Great Wall and encroached on Beijing, eventually forcing the fall of the Ming Dynasty and beginning of the Qing Dynasty. Between the 18th and 20th centuries, the Great Wall emerged as the most common emblem of China for the Western world, and a symbol both physical — as a manifestation of Chinese strength — and a psychological representation of the barrier maintained by the Chinese state to repel foreign influences and exert control over its citizens.

Today, the Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in human history. In , UNESCO designated the Great Wall a World Heritage site, and a popular claim that emerged in the 20th century holds that it is the only manmade structure that is visible from space.

Hike the Picturesque Great Wall at Jinshanling. Related Articles. Best Times to Visit the Great Wall. The Zhao State Great Wall. Recommended Tours. Yangtze River Tours.

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