Who built the wall and why?
Since we have begun to appear here, with noticeable regularity, articles on the topic “is the story being presented to us?”, I consider it necessary to speculate on the topic - who built the great Chinese wall.
The Chinese are very proud of the Great Chinese wall and will be happy to tell and show you this attraction. Only bad luck, they will show only that part, a small branch, which was recently restored, but all the other parts of the wall are destroyed almost to the foundation or are in the process of destruction, but the Chinese will keep silent about this.
Time-destroyed wall in Longkou County 
Remains of a destroyed wall. 
Section of the Wall west of Yinchuan City 
180 km north of Beijing. Unlike most other sections around the capital, restored for tourism, this part of the Wall, built around 1368, has been left in its original form. Many scientists are skeptical about the myth of the wall, that it has been in this form for 2000 years and they are doing it right, the wall has long since crumbled, and for tourists it is just a reconstruction.
Tourist part According to the official historical version The Great Wall began to be erected in the III century BC in order to protect the country from the raids of nomadic peoples.
But the fact is that under the name of the Great Wall of China they mean at least three projects built in different historical eras. The wall is not homogeneous, all these three projects that make it up are scattered at different distances from each other and have many branches, in total total length different parts the wall is at least 13 thousand km.
And no one is embarrassed that between these three projects there are huge gaps through which nomads, from whose raids, according to official history and a wall was being built, they could easily enter and leave China without paying attention to any walls there.
So the Chinese excuse about nomads and barbarians does not find proper confirmation.
At the time of the construction of these walls, China did not have the necessary number of military forces, it was unrealistic not only to defend itself, but also simply to control the entire wall along its entire length.
And here is another confirmation that the wall was most likely built for any, perhaps even fantastic, purpose, but not for defense: if you look closely, you can see that the wall branches, forming some kind of completely meaningless loops and branches. Moreover, it is not built in a straight line, but along some kind of winding trajectory. And the features of the relief have nothing to do with it, because even on flat areas the wall “winds”. How can such construction be explained?
restored part of the wall 
Restored wall fragment So it turns out that a lot of hypotheses and conjectures go around the construction of the Chinese wall. Now I will talk about some of them.
Maybe it wasn't built by the Chinese?
In 2006 President of the Academy fundamental sciences Andrey Alexandrovich Tyunyaev in his article “The Great Wall of China was built ... not by the Chinese!” suggested that it is not the creation of the Chinese, but of their northern neighbors. Let's return to the story about Tartaria, by clicking on the link you can see that until the middle of the 18th century, the current northern part of China was part of Tartaria, or more precisely, it belonged to the Slavs living in this territory. Please note that the border of Tartaria ends just at the place where the Chinese wall is located. As proof of this, I provide you with a map below, on which not only is there a border between China and Tartaria, but also the wall itself is shown (the map can be enlarged).
It turns out that the Chinese appropriated the achievement of another civilization and changed the task of the wall in history: initially the wall was the protection of the north from the Chinese, and not vice versa, as they now say. Proof of this can serve as loopholes, which are directed to China, and not to the north. China couldn't build a wall and send a loophole to its own territory - it's not logical. Ancient loopholes directed to China can be seen on ancient Chinese drawings, on old photographs and on the wall itself, but only on non-modernized, non-tourist parts. According to Tyunyaev, the last sections of the Great Wall of China were built similarly to Russian fortifications, the main task of which is protection from the effects of guns. The construction of such fortifications began no earlier than the 15th century, when cannons were widely spread on the battlefields.
To prove his hypothesis, Tyunyaev cites the following facts.
The architectural style of the Great Wall of China very clearly showed the handwriting of its creator. The same features of the elements of walls and towers can only be found in the architecture of ancient Russian defensive structures. central regions Russia.
For example, compare two towers - from the Chinese wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. The shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed upwards. From the wall inside both towers there is an entrance blocked by a round arch, lined with the same brick as the wall with the tower.
Novgorod Kremlin 
Round arch in the Chinese wall Each of the towers has two upper "working" floors. Round-arched windows were made in the first floor of both towers. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130-160 centimeters.
Loopholes are located on the upper (second) floor. They are made in the form of rectangular narrow grooves about 35-45 cm wide. The number of such loopholes in the Chinese tower is 3 deep and 4 wide, and in the Novgorod one - 4 deep and 5 wide.
On the top floor of the "Chinese" tower along its very edge are square holes. There are similar holes in the Novgorod tower, and the ends of the rafters sticking out of them, on which the wooden roof rests.
The situation is the same in comparison of the Chinese tower and the tower of the Tula Kremlin. At the Chinese and Tula towers the same number there are 4 loopholes wide. And the same number of arched openings - 4 each. On the upper floor, between the large loopholes, there are small ones - near the Chinese and Tula towers. The shape of the towers is still the same. In the Tula tower, as in the Chinese one, White stone. The arches are made in the same way: at the Tula gate - at the "Chinese" - entrances.
Tula Kremlin For comparison, you can also use the Russian towers of the Nikolsky Gate (Smolensk) and the northern fortress wall of the Nikitsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky, 16th century), as well as a tower in Suzdal (mid-17th century). Conclusion: design features the towers of the Chinese wall reveal almost exact analogies among the towers of Russian kremlin.
Nikolsky Gate, Smolensk Moreover, the fact that quite recently Chinese archaeologists found ancient Slavic burials in the north, almost near the wall itself, can confirm that the construction of the wall was most likely the hands of the inhabitants of the north, and not the Chinese.
Second hypothesis. Why was the wall built?
A. Galanin, a well-known botanist, suggested that the wall was built not only for the purpose of defense. This researcher believes that the Great Wall of China was built to protect against sandstorms in the Ala Shan and Ordos deserts. He drew attention to the fact that on the map compiled at the beginning of the 20th century by the Russian traveler P. Kozlov, one can see how the Wall runs along the border of shifting sands, and in some places has significant branches. But it was near the deserts that researchers and archaeologists discovered several parallel walls. Galanin explains this phenomenon very simply: when one wall was covered with sand, another was erected. The researcher does not deny the military purpose of the Wall in its eastern part, but Western part The walls performed, in his opinion, the function of protecting agricultural areas from the elements.
This hypothesis can also explain the presence of a wall on the territory of Mongolia and recently found by British researchers.
There are other hypotheses for the construction of the wall, some even very fantastic and it is still hard to believe in them. But who knows exactly where the truth lies. So far, I have limited myself to only these two hypotheses and I will be glad if you express your point of view.
Destroyed parts of the Great Wall of China.
SOME Russian researchers(President of the Academy of Fundamental Sciences A.A. Tyunyaev and his associate honorary doctor Brussels University V.I. Semeyko) express doubts about conventional version the origin of the protective structure on the northern borders of the state of the Qin dynasty. In November 2006, in one of his publications, Andrey Tyunyaev formulated his thoughts on this topic as follows: “As you know, to the north of the territory modern China there was another, much more ancient civilization. This has been repeatedly confirmed archaeological discoveries made, in particular, on the territory Eastern Siberia. Impressive evidence of this civilization, comparable to Arkaim in the Urals, not only has not yet been studied and comprehended by the world historical science, but did not even receive a proper assessment in Russia itself.
As for the so-called "Chinese" wall, it is not quite right to speak of it as an achievement of the ancient Chinese civilization. Here, to confirm our scientific correctness, it is sufficient to cite only one fact. LOOPHOUSES on a significant part of the wall ARE NOT DIRECTIONAL TO THE NORTH, BUT TO THE SOUTH! And this is clearly seen not only in the most ancient, not reconstructed sections of the wall, but even in recent photographs and in works of Chinese drawing.
It is generally accepted that they began to build it in the 3rd century BC. to protect the state of the Qin dynasty from the raids of the "northern barbarians" - nomadic people xiongnu. In the 3rd century AD, during the Han Dynasty, the construction of the wall was resumed and it was extended to the west.
Over time, the wall began to collapse, but during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), according to Chinese historians, the wall was restored and strengthened. Those sections of it that have survived to our time were built mainly in the 15th-16th centuries.
Three centuries of reign Manchu dynasty Qing (since 1644), the protective structure dilapidated and almost everything collapsed, since the new rulers of the Celestial Empire did not need protection from the north. Only in our time, in the mid-1980s, the restoration of sections of the wall began as material evidence ancient origin statehood in the lands of Northeast Asia.
Earlier, the Chinese themselves made a discovery about the belonging of the ancient Chinese writing to another people. There are already published works proving that these people were the Slavs of Aria.
In 2008, at the First International Congress "Dokirillovskaya Slavic writing and pre-Christian Slavic culture" in the Leningrad state university named after A.S. Pushkin Tyunyaev made a report "China - younger brother Russia”, during which he presented fragments of Neolithic ceramics from the territory
eastern part of northern China. The signs depicted on ceramics did not look like Chinese characters, but showed almost complete coincidence with the Old Russian runic - up to 80 percent.
Based on the latest archaeological data, the researcher expresses the opinion that during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, the population of the western part of Northern China was Caucasoid. Indeed, throughout Siberia, up to China, mummies of Caucasians are found. According to genetic data, this population had the Old Russian haplogroup R1a1.
This version is also supported by the mythology of the ancient Slavs, which tells about the movement of the ancient Rus to eastbound- they were headed by Bogumir, Slavunya and their son Skif. These events are reflected, in particular, in the Book of Veles, which, let's make a reservation, is not recognized by academic historians.
Tyunyaev and his supporters draw attention to the fact that the Great Wall of China was built in a similar way to European and Russian medieval walls, the main purpose of which is protection against firearms. The construction of such structures began no earlier than the 15th century, when cannons and other siege weapons appeared on the battlefields. Before the 15th century, the so-called northern nomads did not have artillery.
Pay attention to which side the sun is shining.
ON THE BASIS of these data, Tyunyaev expresses the opinion that the wall in eastern Asia was built as a defensive structure, marking the border between two medieval states. It was erected after an agreement was reached on the delimitation of territories. And this, according to Tyunyaev, is confirmed by the map of that
the time when the boundary between Russian Empire and the Qing Empire passed along the wall.
We are talking about a map of the Qing Empire in the second half of the 17th-18th centuries, presented in the academic 10-volume " world history". That map shows in detail the wall that runs exactly along the border between the Russian Empire and the empire of the Manchu dynasty (the Qing Empire).
There are other translations from the French phrase "Muraille de la Chine" - "a wall from China", "a wall delimiting from China". Indeed, in an apartment or in a house, we call the wall that separates us from our neighbors a neighbor's wall, and the wall that separates us from the street is an outer wall. We have the same thing with the name of the borders: the Finnish border, the Ukrainian border ... In this case, adjectives indicate only geographical location Russian borders.
It is noteworthy that in medieval Russia there was the word "whale" - knitting poles, which were used in the construction of fortifications. So, the name of the Moscow district Kitay-gorod was given in the 16th century for the same reasons - the building consisted of a stone wall with 13 towers and 6 gates...
According to the opinion enshrined in official version history, the Great Wall of China began to be built in 246 BC. under Emperor Shi Huangdi, its height was from 6 to 7 meters, the purpose of construction was protection from northern nomads.
Russian historian L.N. Gumilyov wrote: “The wall stretched for 4,000 km. Its height reached 10 meters, and every 60-100 meters rose watchtowers". He also noted: “When the work was completed, it turned out that all armed forces China is not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall. In fact, if a small detachment is placed on each tower, then the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and give help. If, however, large detachments are spaced less often, then gaps are formed through which the enemy will easily and imperceptibly penetrate into the interior of the country. A fortress without defenders is not a fortress.”
Moreover, the loophole towers are located on the South side, as if the defenders repelled attacks from the NORTH ????
Andrey Tyunyaev offers to compare two towers - from the Chinese wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. The shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed upwards. From the wall inside both towers there is an entrance blocked by a round arch, lined with the same brick as the wall with the tower. Each of the towers has two upper "working" floors. Round-arched windows were made in the first floor of both towers. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130-160 centimeters.
And what does the comparison of the preserved towers say? Chinese city Beijing with the medieval towers of Europe? Fortress walls Spanish cityÁvila and Peking are very similar, especially in that the towers are located very often and have practically no architectural adaptations for military purposes. Peking towers have only an upper deck with loopholes, and are laid out at the same height as the rest of the wall.
Neither the Spanish nor the Peking towers reveal such high similarity With defensive towers Chinese wall, as shown by the towers of Russian kremlins and fortress walls. And this is an occasion for reflection for historians.
The Great Wall of China is also called the "Long Wall". Its length is 10 thousand li, or more than 20 thousand kilometers, and in order to reach its height, a dozen people must stand on each other's shoulders ... It is compared with a wriggling dragon stretching from the Yellow Sea itself to the Tibetan mountains. There is no other structure like it on earth.
Temple of Heaven: Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
Start of construction of the Great Wall of China
According to the official version, the construction began in the period of the Warring States (475-221 BC), under the emperor Qin Shi-Huangdi, in order to protect the state from the Xiongnu nomads' raids, and lasted ten years. About two million people built the wall, which then accounted for a fifth of the entire population of China. Among them were the most different classes— slaves, peasants, soldiers… Commander Meng Tian supervised the construction.
Legend has it that the emperor himself rode a magical white horse, plotting the route of the future structure. And where his horse stumbled, then they erected a watchtower ... But this is just a legend. But the story of the dispute between the Master and the official looks much more plausible.
The fact is that for the construction of such a bulk, talented craftsmen-builders were required. There were plenty of them among the Chinese. But one was especially distinguished by intelligence and ingenuity. He was so skillful in his craft that he could accurately calculate how many bricks were needed for such a construction ...
The imperial official, however, doubted the Master's ability and made a condition. If, they say, the Master is mistaken by only one brick, he himself will install this brick on the tower in honor of the craftsman. And if the mistake goes two bricks, then let him blame his arrogance - a severe punishment will follow ...
A lot of stones and bricks went into the construction. After all, besides the wall, watchtowers and gate towers also rose. There were about 25,000 of them throughout the route. So, on one of these towers, which is located near the famous ancient Silk Road, you can see a brick, which, unlike the others, protrudes noticeably from the masonry. They say that this is the same one that the Official promised to put in honor of the skilled Master. Therefore, he escaped the promised punishment.
The Great Wall of China is the longest cemetery in the world
But even without any punishment, so many people died during the construction of the Wall that the place was also called "the longest cemetery in the world." The entire construction route was strewn with the bones of the dead. In total, experts say, there are about half a million of them. The reason was poor working conditions.
According to legend, one of these unfortunates tried to save loving wife. She hurried to him with warm clothes for the winter. Having learned on the spot about the death of her husband, Meng - that was the name of the woman - wept bitterly, and from abundant tears, her part of the wall collapsed. And then the emperor intervened. Either he was afraid that the whole Wall would crawl from women's tears, or he liked the beautiful widow in her sadness - in a word, he ordered to take her to his palace.
And she seemed to agree at first, but it turned out, only in order to be able to adequately bury her husband. And then faithful Meng committed suicide by throwing herself into a turbulent stream ... And how many such deaths have happened yet? However, is there really a record of the victims when great state affairs are being done ...
And there was no doubt that such a "fence" was an object of great national importance. According to historians, the wall did not so much protect the great "Celestial Middle Empire" from the nomads, but guarded the Chinese themselves so that they would not run away from their dear homeland ... They say that the greatest Chinese traveler Xuanzang had to climb over the wall, stealthily, in the middle of the night, under a hail of arrows from the border guard...
The Chinese wall is an amazing structure built for almost 2000 years and its length is 4 thousand kilometers! Such a long-term construction is not bad ... It is traditionally believed that the Great Wall of China began to be built in the 3rd century BC. For protection from northern nomads. On this occasion, N.A. Morozov wrote:
“One thought that the famous Chinese Wall, 6 to 7 meters high and up to 3 meters thick, stretching for THREE THOUSAND KILOMETERS, was started by the construction back in 246 BC by Emperor Shi-Hoangti and WAS FINISHED ONLY THROUGH 1866 YEARS, TO 1620 AD, is so absurd that it can only annoy a serious historian-thinker.
After all, every great building has a predetermined practical purpose… Who would have thought of starting a huge building, which can only be completed in 2000 years, and until then it will be just a useless burden for the population…
We will be told, - The Wall has been repaired for two thousand years. Doubtful. It makes sense to repair only a not very old building, otherwise it will become hopelessly outdated and simply fall apart. What we observe, by the way, in Europe.
The old defensive walls were dismantled and new, more powerful ones were built in their place. For example, many military fortifications in Russia were rebuilt in the 16th century.
But we are told that the Chinese Wall, as it was built, stood for TWO THOUSAND YEARS. They do not say that "the modern wall was built recently on the site of the ancient one."
No, they say that we see exactly the wall that was erected two thousand years ago. In our opinion, this is extremely strange, to say the least.
When and against whom was the wall built? We cannot give an exact answer. This requires additional research. However, let us express the following thought.
The Great Wall of China was built primarily as a structure marking the BORDER between two countries: China and Russia.
It is doubtful that it was built as a military defense structure. And hardly ever used in this capacity. Defending a 4,000-kilometer wall from an enemy attack is POSSIBLE.
LN Gumilyov quite rightly wrote: “The wall stretched for 4 thousand km. Its height reached 10 meters, and watch towers rose every 60-100 meters.
But when the work was completed, it turned out that all the armed forces of China were not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall.
In fact, if a small detachment is placed on each tower, then the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and give help.
If, however, large detachments are spaced less often, then gaps are formed through which the enemy will easily and imperceptibly penetrate deep into the country. A FORTRESS WITHOUT DEFENDERS IS NOT A FORTRESS
What is the difference between our point of view and the traditional one? We are told that the Wall separated China from the nomads in order to secure the country from their raids. But, as Gumilyov rightly noted, such an explanation does not stand up to scrutiny.
If the nomads wanted to cross the Wall, they would have easily done so. And not just once. And anywhere. We offer a completely different explanation.
We believe that the Wall was built primarily to DESIGNATE THE BORDER BETWEEN THE TWO STATES. And it was built when they reached an agreement on this border. Apparently in order to exclude border disputes in the future.
And such disputes, probably, were. Today, the agreed parties draw the border ON THE MAP (that is, on paper). And they think that this is enough.
And in the case of Russia and China, the Chinese, apparently, attached such importance to the treaty that they decided to perpetuate it not only on paper, but also “on the ground”, by drawing the Wall along the agreed border.
This was more reliable and, as the Chinese thought, would eliminate border disputes for a long time. The length of the Wall itself speaks in favor of our assumption. Four or one or two thousand kilometers is normal for a border between two states. But for a purely military structure - it makes no sense. But the political border
China for its supposedly more than two thousand years of history changed many times. This is what historians tell us. China united, then fell apart into separate regions, lost and acquired some land, and so on.
On the one hand, this seems to make it difficult to verify our reconstruction. But on the other hand, on the contrary, we are given the opportunity not only to check it, but also to DATE the construction of the Wall.
If we manage to find a political-geographical map on which the BORDER OF CHINA WILL PASS EXACTLY ALONG THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA, this will mean that EXACTLY AT THIS TIME THE WALL WAS BUILT.
Today the Wall of China is INSIDE China. Was there a time when it marked the BORDER OF THE COUNTRY? And when did it happen? It is clear that if it was built as a BORDER WALL, then at that time IT HAD TO GO EXACTLY ON THE POLITICAL BORDER OF CHINA.
This will allow us to date the construction of the Wall. Let's try to find a GEOGRAPHICAL MAP on which the Wall of China runs EXACTLY ON THE POLITICAL BORDER OF CHINA. It is important that SUCH CARDS EXIST. And there are many. These are maps of the 17th-18th centuries.
We take a map of Asia of the XVIII century, made by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam:. This map was taken by us from a rare atlas of the 18th century.
On this map we find two states: Tartaria - Tartarie and China - Chine. northern border China is coming approximately along the 40th parallel. EXACTLY THIS BORDER GOES THE WALL OF CHINA.
Moreover, on the map this Wall is DESIGNATED as a thick line with the inscription Muraille de la Chine, that is, “the high wall of China” in French.
The same Chinese Wall, and with the same inscription on it, we see on another map of 1754 - Carte de l'Asie, taken by us from a rare atlas of the 18th century. Here the Chinese Wall also runs roughly along the border between China and Great Tataria, that is, Mongol-Tataria = Russia.
We see the same thing on another map of Asia in the 17th century, in the famous Blaeu atlas. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China, and only a small western section of the Wall is inside China.
Our idea is also supported by the fact that the cartographers of the 18th century GENERALLY PUT THE CHINA WALL ON THE POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD.
Therefore, this Wall MAKES THE SENSE OF A POLITICAL BORDER. After all, the cartographers did not depict other “wonders of the world” on this map, for example, the Egyptian pyramids.
And the Chinese Wall was painted. The same Wall is depicted on a color map of the Qing Empire in the second half of the 17th-18th centuries in the academic 10-volume World History
This map shows the Great Wall in detail, with all of its little twists and turns in the terrain. For almost its entire length, it goes EXACTLY ON THE BORDER OF THE CHINESE EMPIRE, with the exception of a small westernmost section of the Wall no more than 200 kilometers long. Apparently
THE CHINESE GREAT WALL WAS BUILT IN THE XVI-XVII CENTURIES AS A POLITICAL BORDER BETWEEN CHINA AND RUSSIA = “MONGOLO-TATARIA”.
It is impossible to admit that the “ancient” Chinese had such an amazing gift of foresight that they accurately predicted exactly how the border between China and Russia would pass in the 17th-18th centuries of the NEW ERA, that is, in two thousand years.
We may be objected: on the contrary, the border between Russia and China in the 17th century was drawn along the ancient Wall. However, in this case, the Wall would have to be mentioned in a written Russian-Chinese treaty. We did not find such references.
When was the Wall = Border between Russia = “Mongol-Tataria” and China built? Apparently, it was in the XVII century. No wonder it is believed that its construction was “completed” only in 1620. And maybe even later. See more about it below.
In this regard, it is immediately remembered that EXACTLY at this time there were BORDER WARS between Russia and China. Probably, only in late XVII century agreed on the border. And then they built a wall to fix the CONTRACT.
Was this Wall earlier than the 17th century? Apparently not. Scaligerian history tells us that China was conquered by the “MONGOLS” in the 13th century AD. e. More precisely, in 1279. And he became part of the huge “Mongolian” = Great Empire.
According to new chronology, the correct dating of this conquest is late XIV century, that is, a hundred years later. In the Scaligerian history of China, this event is noted in the XIV century as the coming to power of the MING dynasty in 1368, that is, THE SAME MONGOLS.
As we now understand, in the XIV-XVI centuries, RUSSIA AND CHINA STILL MADE ONE EMPIRE. Therefore, there was no need to build the Wall = Border.
Most likely, such a need arose after the unrest in Russia, the defeat of the Russian Horde dynasty and the seizure of power by the Romanovs. As you know, the Romanovs abruptly changed political course Russia, trying to subjugate the country to Western influence.
Such a pro-Western orientation of the new dynasty led to the collapse of the Empire. Turkey separated, and with it began heavy wars. China also separated. And, in fact, control over a significant part of America was lost. China's relations with the Romanovs became tense, began border conflicts. It was necessary to build the Wall, which was done.
Apparently, it is even possible to more accurately indicate the time of the construction of the Great Wall of China. As we have said, the Wall was apparently erected as a border between China and Russia during the border disputes of the 17th century. ARMED COLLISION flared up with mid-seventeenth century. The wars were with mixed success Descriptions of these wars are preserved in the notes of Khabarov.
The agreement that fixed the NORTHERN BORDER OF CHINA WITH RUSSIA was concluded in 1689 in Nerchinsk. Perhaps there were earlier attempts to conclude a Russo-Chinese treaty.
It is to be expected that the China Wall was built between 1650 and 1689. This expectation is justified. It is known that the emperor = Bogdykhan Kangxi “began to implement his plan of FORCING THE RUSSIANS FROM THE AMUR.
BUILDING A CHAIN OF FORTIFICATIONS IN MANZHURIA, Bogdykhan sent the Manchurian army to the Amur in 1684” What kind of CHAIN OF FORTIFICATIONS did Bogdykhan build by 1684? Most likely, he built the Great Wall of China. That is, a CHAIN OF FORTIFIED TOWERS CONNECTED BY A WALL
The longest defensive structure in the world is the Great Wall of China. Interesting facts about her today are very numerous. This masterpiece of architecture is fraught with many mysteries. It causes fierce controversy among various researchers.
The length of the Great Wall of China has not yet been precisely established. It is only known that it stretched from Jiayuguan, located in the province of Gansu, to (Liaodong Bay).
Wall length, width and height
The length of the structure is about 4 thousand km, according to some sources, and according to others - more than 6 thousand km. 2450 km - the length of a straight line drawn between its end points. However, it must be borne in mind that the wall does not go straight anywhere: it either bends or turns. The length of the Great Wall of China, therefore, should be at least 6 thousand km, and possibly more. The height of the structure is on average 6-7 meters, reaching separate sections 10 meters. Width - 6 meters, that is, 5 people can walk along the wall in a row, even a small car can easily pass. On its outer side there are "teeth" made of large bricks. The inner wall is protected by a barrier, the height of which is 90 cm. Previously, there were drains in it, made through equal sections.
Start of construction
The beginning of the Great Wall of China was laid during the reign of Qin Shi Huang. He ruled the country from 246 to 210. BC e. With the name of this creator of a single Chinese state - famous emperor- it is customary to link the history of the construction of such a structure as the Great Wall of China. Interesting facts about it include a legend according to which it was decided to build it after one court soothsayer predicted (and the prediction came true many centuries later!) That the country would be destroyed by barbarians who came from the north. In order to protect the Qin empire from nomads, the emperor ordered the construction of defensive fortifications, unprecedented in scale. They subsequently turned into such a grand structure as the Great Wall of China.
The facts show that the rulers of various principalities located in Northern China erected similar walls along their borders even before the reign of Qin Shi Huang. By the time of his accession to the throne, about 2 thousand km was the total length of these ramparts. The emperor at first only strengthened and united them. This is how the Great Wall of China was formed. Interesting facts about its construction, however, do not end there.
Who built the wall?
Real fortresses were built on checkpoints. Intermediate military camps for patrolling and garrison service, watchtowers were also built. "Who built the Great Wall of China?" - you ask. Hundreds of thousands of slaves, prisoners of war and criminals were rounded up for its construction. When there were not enough workers, mass mobilization of peasants also began. Emperor Shi Huangdi, according to one of the legends, ordered to make a sacrifice to the spirits. He ordered that a million people be immured in the wall under construction. This is not confirmed by archaeological data, although single burials were found in the foundations of towers and fortresses. It is still unclear whether they were ritual sacrifices, or whether they simply buried the dead workers, those who built the Great Wall of China, in this way.
Completion of construction
Shortly before Shi Huangdi's death, the construction of the wall was completed. According to scientists, the reason for the impoverishment of the country and the turmoil that followed the death of the monarch was precisely the huge costs for the construction of defensive fortifications. Through deep gorges, valleys, deserts, along cities, across the whole of China, Great Wall, turning the state into an almost impregnable fortress.
Protective function of the wall
Many called its later construction pointless, since there would be no soldiers to defend such a long wall. But it should be noted that it served to protect against the light cavalry of various nomadic tribes. In many countries, similar structures were used against the steppes. For example, these are the Trajan's Wall built by the Romans in the 2nd century, as well as the Serpent's Walls, built in the south of Ukraine in the 4th century. Large detachments of cavalry could not overcome the wall, since the cavalry needed to break through or destroy large plot. And without special tools, this was not easy to do. Genghis Khan managed to do this in the 13th century with the help of military engineers from the Chudji, the kingdom he conquered, as well as local infantry in huge numbers.
How different dynasties took care of the wall
All subsequent rulers took care of the safety of the Great Wall of China. Only two dynasties were an exception. This is Yuan Mongolian dynasty, as well as the Manchu Qin (the latter, which we will talk about a little later). They controlled the lands north of the wall, so they didn't need it. different periods knew the history of the building. There were times when the garrisons guarding it were recruited from pardoned criminals. The tower, located on the Golden Terrace of the wall, was decorated in 1345 with bas-reliefs depicting Buddhist guards.
After it was defeated during the reign of the next (Ming) in 1368-1644, work was underway to strengthen the wall and maintain the defensive structures in proper condition. Beijing, the new capital of China, was only 70 kilometers away, and its security depended on the wall.
During the reign, women were used as sentries on the towers, watching the surrounding area and, if necessary, giving an alarm signal. This was motivated by the fact that they treat their duties more conscientiously and are more attentive. There is a legend according to which the legs of the unfortunate guards were cut off so that they could not leave their post without an order.
folk tradition
We continue to reveal the topic: "The Great Wall of China: Interesting Facts". The photo of the wall below will help you imagine its greatness.
The folk legend tells about the terrible hardships that the builders of this structure had to endure. A woman named Meng Jiang came here from a remote province to bring warm clothes for her husband. However, when she reached the wall, she learned that her husband had already died. The woman was unable to find his remains. She lay down near this wall and cried for several days. Even the stones were touched by the woman's grief: one of the sections of the Great Wall collapsed, revealing the bones of Meng Jiang's husband. The woman took the remains of her husband home, where she buried them in the family cemetery.
Invasion of "barbarians" and restoration work
The wall did not save from the last large-scale invasion of the "barbarians". The overthrown aristocracy, fighting with the rebels representing the Yellow Turban movement, let numerous Manchu tribes into the country. Their leaders seized power. They founded in China new dynasty- Qin. The Great Wall from that moment lost its defensive significance. She finally fell into disrepair. Only after 1949 did restoration work begin. The decision to start them was made by Mao Zedong. But during the course of the 1966-1976 " cultural revolution"Red Guards" (Red Guardsmen), who did not recognize the value ancient architecture, decided to destroy some sections of the wall. She looked, according to eyewitnesses, as if she had been attacked by the enemy.
Now not only forced laborers or soldiers were sent here. Service on the wall became a matter of honor, as well as a strong career incentive for young people from noble families. The words that the one who was not on it cannot be called a good fellow, which Mao Zedong turned into a slogan, became a new saying just then.
Great Wall of China today
Not a single description of China is complete without mentioning the Great Wall of China. locals they say that its history is half the history of the whole country, which cannot be understood without visiting the building. Scientists have calculated that with all the materials that were used during the Ming Dynasty in its construction, it is possible to fold a wall that is 5 meters high and 1 meter thick. It is enough to encircle the entire globe.
The Great Wall of China has no equal in grandeur. This building is visited by millions of tourists from all over the world. Its scale still amazes today. Everyone can purchase a certificate right on the spot, which indicates the time of visiting the wall. The Chinese authorities were even forced to restrict access here in order to ensure the best preservation of this great monument.
Is the wall visible from space?
For a long time it was believed that this is the only man-made object visible from space. However, this view has recently been refuted. Yang Li Wen, the first Chinese astronaut, admitted with sadness that he could not see this monumental structure, no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps the whole point is that in the days of the first space flights air over North China was much cleaner, and therefore the Great Wall of China was visible earlier. The history of creation, interesting facts about it - all this is closely connected with many traditions and legends, which this majestic building is still surrounded by today.
