Asia Archives - Page 8 of 8

Observable from outer space, Although the Great Wall of China is the largest man-made feature on the planet, contrary to popular legend (and according to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jim Irwin), it is not visible from the moon. Although the Great Wall of China is the largest man-made feature on the planet, it is not visible from the moon. The length of the Great Wall of China is about 6,700 kilometres, and it runs from east to west over five provinces. It has the appearance of a long, serpentine dragon, and it weaves its way over a variety of landscapes, including mountains, meadows, and deserts. Each and every kind of material that was accessible at the time was used. From muck and grass, the first bricks were produced out of the most refined mortar ever created. (maintaining its form even after hundreds of years) The Great Wall has been around for almost two thousand years, and in modern times it is regarded as one of the most impressive man-made structures on the planet. Even if there are parts of the wall that are now in disrepair or that have even totally vanished, it continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the whole globe because of its majestic appearance as well as the significant role it played in history. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included the Great Wall of China on its list of World Heritage Sites. It is not known exactly when construction of the Great Wall of China began, but it is a widely held belief that it was built as a military fortification to protect against tribal incursions across the borders during the Zhou Dynasty. This belief is based on the fact that it is believed that the Great Wall was built. During the late Spring and Autumn Period, which lasted from 770 BC to 476 BC, the ducal states increased the scope of their defensive works and started construction on "great" constructions to ward off invasions from the states that were located in close proximity to them. Ying Zheng, the ruler of the Qin State, proclaimed himself Qin Shihuangdi, the first Emperor of The Qin Dynasty, in 221 BC, after the Qin State had successfully subjugated the majority of its surrounding kingdoms. The origin of the term China may be traced back to the word Qin, which is pronounced "chin." Along with the commencement of the First Emperor of China's reign, this event marked the beginning of construction of the Great Wall. In order to prevent incursions into his realm along its northern frontier, Qin Shihuangdi initiated building of the Great Wall by linking together a significant number of the pre-existing boundary walls. The building took place over the course of many centuries and included the labour of millions of people. The construction of the Great Wall took around ten years to finish and stretched from Linzhao (located in what is now the eastern section of the Gansu Province) to Liaodong (located in what is now the Jilin Province) in the direction of the east. The wall was not only an excellent means of protection in the northern part of the kingdom, but it was also an outstanding representation of the emperor's power. Following the end of the Qin Dynasty, the Great Wall saw a number of expansions. Since the Han Dynasty had been at war with the Xiongnu in 127 BC, 121 BC, and 119 BC, Emperor Wu (Han Wu Di) of the Han Dynasty wanted to maintain safety against this tribe, so he extended the wall to the west to guard the Hexi Corridor (in what is now the Gansu Province) as well as the Xinjiang region. This was done so that the Han Dynasty would not be at war with Later on, throughout the reigns of the succeeding Northern Wei, Northern Qi, and Sui dynasties, the Great Wall received a significant number of new projects as well as expansions. The section of the Great Wall that can be seen today in Beijing dates back to the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was constructed out of bricks and granite and included very intricate patterns and passageways; hence, it held a significant amount of strategic significance. The Ming Wall starts at the Yalujiang River, which is located in what is now the province of Heilongjiang, and continues on for more than 5,000 kilometres until it reaches Guansu.