China has an old saying that "anyone who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a true man." The Great Wall, extending five provinces and covering 6,700 square kilometers from east Shanhaiguan Pass to west Jiayuguan Pass, is one of the "Eight Wonders of the World" and recorded in the World Heritage List. Like a gigantic dragon winding up and down across deserts, grasslands and mountains, this enormous wall was built to keep out of invaders and protect the residents in ancient times.

History of Great Wall

The Great Wall seen today was mostly built during Ming Dynasty, yet it was originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, between

770B.C and 476 B.C., when there were the Wall of Chu State, the Wall of Yan State, the Wall of Qi State and the Wall of Wei State. It is recorded in the history document that the earliest Great Wall, which was called "Square Wall", was built in the Chu State, 656 B.C. As effective military defense brocade, "Square Wall" was a great help for the governor of Chu State to keep invaders of Qi State out of his territory.

In Qin Dynasty, the northern border of China is frequently threatened by Xiongnu, an ancient tribe which lived in North China. Emperor Qin appointed chief general MengTian, with 300 thousand warriors to conquer the tribe. The wall was then constructed in order to consolidate the safety of the country. It connected the wall of Qin, Zhao and Yan State, stretching almost 10000 li or 5000 kilometers.

In 202 B.C, Qin was overthrown by LiuBang, who established Han Dynasty. Meanwhile, Xiongnu, the north tribe overwhelmed by MengTian, a well-known general of Qin Dynasty gradually strengthened and conquered its neighboring tribes. On one hand, Han emperors carried out active military attacks, on the other hand, large scale construction work of the Great Wall underwent for four times.

In Ming Dynasty, safety being threatened by three north tribes, Wala, Dada and Nuzhen, Ming emperor spent much time on restoring the Great Wall, thus the technology reached the historic peak. Many crucial sections and passes were made of bricks. The wall of Ming stretches 5660 kilometers, from Yalu River to Jiayu Pass in Gansu Province, and it is mainly distributed in Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu Province today.