The Great Wall: How it all began
***Although the Wall has been added to many times in Chinese dynastic history, I am proposing the sections built during the Qin and Han dynasties to be the Wonder.
During the Warring States period, 7 different Chinese kingdoms built their own walls to shield themselves from eachother and from northern invaders. At the end of this period, a victor emerged, conquering all 7 states and uniting China. This was the beginning of the Qin Dynasty.
During the Warring States period, 7 different Chinese kingdoms built their own walls to shield themselves from eachother and from northern invaders. At the end of this period, a victor emerged, conquering all 7 states and uniting China. This was the beginning of the Qin Dynasty.
The Qin Dynasty
Map of China during the Qin Dynasty compared to the modern borders.
The first and only Qin ruler, Shi Huangdi, was the first to begin construction on the Great Wall as we know it. In 221 BCE, Shi decided that he needed to get down to business to defeat the Huns (and Mongols). Well, not really defeat. More like defend China from invasion. He wanted to build a wall for two purposes: keep the Chinese people in (a symbol of isolation), and keep northern invaders out. Shi Huangdi's wall used previously built walls and connected them to make one Great Wall to defend the northern border. However, most of it was built from scratch. It spread from the Liaoning Province in the east to Lintao in the Gansu province along the northern border of China: approximately a distance of 3,107 miles. In relative terms, this is from the eastern sea to the western edge of the Gobi Desert.
The Han Dynasty
Compare this to the Qin map and note the expansion of the Wall
The next Chinese dynasty, the Han, began in 202 BCE following the fall of Emperor Shi Huangdi. During this dynasty, the Huns really began to grow stronger and fiercer. In 127 BCE, Emperor Han Wudi decided that Mulan and the Chinese army were the saddest bunch he'd ever met, and they would no longer be able to defend against the ever-fiercer Huns. He ordered further construction on the wall. On the previously built parts of the wall, he added forts and beacon towers so that soldiers could light beacon fires to signal for help in case of enemy activity. He also expanded the Wall westward to Mount Yinshan. Around 20 years later, sections of walls were built to close of paths that the Huns could possibly take, such as the Yumenguan Pass. These additions proved successful, and the Huns became weaker. A time of peace followed, and further addition to the wall was no longer needed for hundreds of years.