10 facts about the Great Wall of China

Translated from Dutch. View the original post here

#chinesemuur #china #chinafacts

Would you like to know a few facts about the Great Wall of China? The Great Wall of China is one of the most amazing man-made structures on Earth. Winding between the mountains of China, over mountain peaks, through deep ravines, this stone dragon attracts millions of tourists every year to China. The oldest parts of the wall are eroding by wind, water, tourists and even sheep.

10 interesting facts about the Great Wall
Who built the Great Wall of China? How long is the Great Wall of China? What is the Chinese Wall made of? How long did it take?

1. The Chinese Wall is the longest artificial wall in the world.

2. The Great Wall of China is 6,259 kilometers long.

3. How high is the Great Wall of China? That varies quite a bit. Some places are only a few meters high while others are higher than 30 meters! Since part of the wall is built on mountain peaks, it seems even higher.

4. The purpose of the Great Wall was to protect China from the Mongols and other invaders from the north. The wall also ensured that Chinese residents could not just leave their country.

5. The Great Wall was built in several steps, not all at once. The foundation stone was laid in the 5th century BC. The last one in the 16th century AD.

6. The Chinese Wall was first built from compressed earth and stone, which people could find in the area. The last meters of the Chinese wall are built of bricks.

7. The Great Wall originally consisted of many shorter walls, but was later connected by smaller walls.

8. Ruler Qin Shihuang began work on the wall. Many walls were built by different states in northern China. Emperor Qin united these states and began to combine the walls.

9. The Great Wall was built by peasants, captives and soldiers.

10. The Chinese Wall consists of three parts: passageways, watchtowers and walls.

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10 additional facts about the Great Wall of China
1. The wall of China cannot be seen from space with the naked eye.

2. The Wall of China is not considered one of the classic wonders of the world of ancient times.

3. The parts of the Great Wall with which we usually associate the Great Wall were built during the Ming Dynasty. This is the last built part and made of bricks and has many higher watchtowers.

4. The Great Wall of China is the largest cemetery in the world. Over a million people died during construction. Archaeologists have found human remains under the walls.

5. The Chinese Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

6. The Chinese Wall is threatened by erosion. Some parts deteriorate so quickly that they are believed to have disappeared within 20 years.

7. The wall attracts more than 10 million visitors per year.

8. The Great Wall is often compared to a dragon that makes its way through the mountains of Northern China.

9. The Chinese wall is so wide in some places that you could drive over it with a car.

10. The most famous story about the legends of the Great Wall is the story of Men Jiangnu.
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Who is Emperor Qin Shi Huang?
Emperor Qin (pronounce as chin) was not a beloved emperor. You've probably never heard of him, but you've heard of the Terracotta army in China. The Terracotta army guards Emperor Qin's grave. In an attempt to unify the states of China, Qin Shi wanted to unite all the walls. This isn't all he did. Emperor Qin has also caused many books and literature to be burned, especially books that encouraged people to think differently or for themselves. He even buried a few hundred scholars alive because they were in possession of that literature.