The Most Shocking Facts about the Great Wall

of China

The Great Wall is reputed as one of the seven construction wonders in the
world not only for its long history, but also for its massive construction size,
and its unique architectural style as well. But it still has many secrets which
can make shocking the world.
Let’s search for the secret facts by focusing on the rest of this article's
demonstrations.

1. The General History of the Great wall

 The Great Wall was built more than 1800 Years

When Emperor Qin Shi Huang took over the neighbouring territories in 221
BCE and made it the Qin Dynasty. He started constructing a 5,000-kilometer
wall to protect his newfound territory. It was a common feature to have walls
erected around Chinese territories to protect the citizens from enemy
invasions.
 The Great Wall is made up of several walls

It is made up of walls that are seamless in different sections. The sections were
built by different dynasties over a period using stones and other substances.

 The wall was built by several dynasties

The Great Wall of China wasn't built in a day. Its construction lasted over
2,300 years (680 BC – 1681 AD). When the construction of the wall began, it
was built by three states that were fighting. It was later rebuilt by six other
dynasties and then restored as a tourist attraction by the Chinese government
The Great Wall of China is the pride of the country. The amazing architecture
has survived several centuries. The wall was built to keep away any invaders
but it failed to do so. Some invaders managed to attack the wall while others
failed. The wall was close to the Silk Road which had a range of agricultural
products and finer textiles, this attracted more enemies.

2. Dark History of the Great wall

  The wall was built by Chinese prisoners
During the reign of the Qin Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall was
done by convicted criminals. They were part of the maintenance and
surveillance team too. The prisoners were distinguished from the rest of the
law-abiding citizens by having their heads and faces blackened, they also had
their legs in chains. Those that were found guilty of homicide or tax evasion
were punished by being sent to the wall construction.

It was a dangerous affair as it is estimated that 400,000 people died during the
construction of the wall. When Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the
construction of the Great Wall around 221 B.C., the labour force that built the
wall was made up largely of soldiers and convicts. It is said that as many as
400,000 people died during the wall's construction; many of these workers
were buried within the wall itself.

After Qin unified China, the first emperor Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), ordered
millions of people to build the great wall and even some male citizens/peasants
were forced to work for it with the soldiers, slaves, and prisoners. Millions of
Chinese people constructed the Great Wall.
While animals were used to transport building materials across long distances,
it was the workers themselves that kept the supply chains moving at the
building sites. In fact, instead of trudging back and forth with materials, the
workers would create human chains to haul materials up the steep hillsides.

Bricks and stones would be passed from one person to the next until they
reached their ultimate destination. Rudimentary wheelbarrows and pulley
systems were also used for particularly difficult jobs. If a criminal died before
his sentence was over, a member of his family had to take his place in the
construction

 Children Were Forced To Work on the Wall

In one of many moves intended to help solve the labour problem that the Wall
created, children were forcibly brought on to work on construction.
For a long time, families were frightened to have male children because there
was a high likelihood that they would be taken away and conscripted into Wall
labour. Many women lost both their husbands and sons to the construction,
leaving them in extremely difficult social and economic positions.

3. Materials used in construction

 Main materials

Everyone wants to know what the Great wall is made out of to last a long time.
But there are no special materials used in construction. Earth, Stone, Brick,
Lime and woods are the main materials of the Great wall as usual as other
buildings.

 The sticky rice was used in the construction of the wall

As mentioned above, the wall was built with stones and earth. But the more
important part of the construction was the glutinous rice. The sticky rice was
used as the mortar due to its adhesive property. Studies have shown that the
sticky substance of the rice is behind the endurance and strength of the wall. It
helped fix the bricks in place and held the bricks together so tightly that weeds
cannot grow in many parts.

 Cost of The Great Wall construction

The total cost of successfully establishing the great wall is approximately US

Dollars 95 billion which is equal to the cost of 7 Gerald R, (the lead ship of the
United States), ford aircraft carriers, and more than 300 F-22 jet planes and
over 2300 Empire state buildings.

4. Parts of the Great Wall; Damaged and going to damage

 Some parts of the Great Wall were vandalized

This is believed to be less than the peak of the wall during the rule of the Ming
Dynasty. At least 1200 miles of the wall were destroyed and vandalized to
make way for construction.

 The Great wall is slowly vanishing

It is believed that some sections of the Great Wall in Gansu and Ningxia
provinces will disappear in the next 20 years.

 Famous Myth of the Great wall

Most people believe that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space. But
in reality, The Great Wall (it being the only man-made structure that can be
seen from space) is nothing more than a myth.

The Great Wall is a place which is in honor of Chinese history. On the other
hand, it is the most shameful past of China. The Great Wall is a testament to
this shameful history.