The Rise of the Great Wall
Despite the absence of the advanced engineering technology we have today, the Great Wall of China stands as one of man's lasting achievements of self-determination. From the simple knowledge of wall-building from stone, it has miraculously survived centuries of natural and human destruction.
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The Rise of the Great Wall
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The Great Wall of China is a monument that testifies to the ingenuity of ancient man. It is a realization that we today do not have the monopoly of stellar achievements. Surviving thousands of years of war and conflict, it stands today as a reminder that no amount of technology can equal the simple power of human dedication.
The Great Wall of China had one apparent goal: to keep the northern barbarians from China. Construction was carried out during the Ch’in Dynasty period, around 221 to 207 B.C., though it has been learned that earlier foundations of the Wall had already existed by then, even going further back to the fifth century B.C. Emperor Shih Huang Qi incorporated earlier smaller segments of the Wall into this great structure we know today: rising about 20 to 30 feet high, stretching a little over 5,500 miles from Shanhaiguan to Lop Nur.
Original Chinese wall-building is now known to have existed in the region around 800 B.C., a period of constant attacks from northern barbarians. As with any other basic engineering techniques developing during that time, earth was used. And it continued to be used three hundred years later, during the Period of the Warring States (the fifth century to 221 B.C.), when it was imperative for the feudal territories such as Qi, Yan, and Zhao to create their own walls and protect their borders. Defending against sword and spear attacks, the engineers of this era made use of stamped earth and gravel encased within broad frames.
In 221 B.C., Emperor Shih Huang Qi rises to unite all states into one kingdom. He orders all previously built walls that divided the former warring states torn down so he could rebuild a single stronger one to defend the unified borders of his new realm against the periodic attacks of the northern Xiongnu barbarians. This is where the construction of the Great Wall properly begins. Whatever ancient foundation of the wall that crept within the border this newly born Ch’in nation, or “China,” was destroyed; only those of the northern mountain regions were preserved and fortified with stone. The segments in the plains were built with rammed earth.
For about four hundred years, the Great Wall was maintained. But there is a pronounced trend in Chinese history where the final years of a dynastic reign is marred with political corruption and negligence of public responsibility and accountability. Though it was not much seen during the Ch’in Dynasty period-Emperor Qi being its only ruler and had left no rightful heir-it was evident in the succeeding Han Dynasty (202 B.C. to A.D. 221). The period of political weakness meant neglect for the Great Wall. And for three and a half centuries, China allowed the Wall, its earthen symbol of strength and unity, to erode. So great has been this natural damage that it has worn away any trace of extent to which the Emperor Qi intended his wall to reach. Though latter re-buildings did occur, they were done in such a minor scale, reminiscent of the pre-Ch’in era when the states warred against each other.
Interest in truly restoring the Great Wall occurred in the Ming Dynasty period (1368 to 1644), after the Mongol rule. Ironically, it was to keep out the incursion of the northern tribes. But acknowledging the Mongolian control of the Ordos Desert, the Wall now skirted around the southern edge of the desert instead of containing the Hwang Ho River. Here, bricks were employed for rebuilding lost segments and reinforcing existing portions of stone and rammed earth. The Great Wall became of great importance to the stability of the Ming Dynasty. During the latter part of the government in the 1600′s, the Great Wall proved its vitality in defending against the Manchu invasion from the north. It was only breached when the rebel general, Wu Sangui, opened its gates to the Manchus in 1644.
Today, the Great Wall remains a permanent world wonder. It is the only structure on the planet that can be plainly viewed from the moon. Yet in all the grandeur it silently proclaims, legends tell of how, in its construction during the Ch’in period, countless lives were lost, the Emperor caring for nothing but the completion and the declaration in stone of his unified China.
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