The Great Wall Of China
A Mega Structure & The Longest Man-Made Structure On Earth
“…built to protect the northern borders of China, mainly from the Northern Moguls, but as barriers go it was quite poor and could easily be penetrated at weaker sections.”
Walking on The Great Wall at Badaling, China. August 26, 2004.
The Great Wall Of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications built, rebuilt, and maintained during the rule of successive dynasties between the 5th century BC and the 16th century.
Walking on The Great Wall of China at Badaling (
), China. August 26, 2004. || From an August 2004 visit to Beijing, China.
– Former US President Richard Nixon upon seeing the Great Wall for the first time during a visit in 1972.
The Great Wall structure was built to protect the northern borders of China, mainly from the Northern Moguls, but as barriers go it was quite poor and could easily be penetrated at weaker sections. Several walls, all collectively referred to as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC, the most famous being the one built between 220 BC and 200 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall, built much further north than the current wall, remains today. The Great Wall of China, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site, is one of the existing mega structures and the world’s longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 6,400 kilometres (4,000 miles). It is also, and not surprisingly, the largest human-made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass.
– UNESCO commenting on The Great Wall
A section of The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (), China. February 17, 2008. || From a February 2008 visit to Beijing, China.
– Mao Zedong
A section of The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling, China. February 17, 2008. || From a February 2008 visit to Beijing, China