The Great Wall
The Great Wall of China started out as several small walls to protect the northern borders of divided China states in the 5th Century BC. The small sections of walls were joined together and united in 221 BC by the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Since then, the Great Wall was rebuilt, modified, or extended throughout Chinese history for over 2,000 years. Most of the Great Wall we see today was built in the Ming Dynasty 1368-1644. It extends from Kansu in the West to the Yellow Sea in the East. The Great Wall was built with local materials, mostly earth and stone. It has hundreds of passes and over 10,000 watchtowers.
Two to three million men died building the Great Wall. They were buried inside the wall. For centuries the wall was known as the longest cemetery in the world. The Great Wall is the world's longest manmade structure, stretching over approximately 4,000 miles. The Great Wall is 16 to 26 feet high and 16 feet wide at the top. Five horses can canter side by side on top of the Great Wall. One million soldiers stood guard on the Great Wall to protect China from the roving Mongolian tribes to the North.
Sections of the Great Wall near the Ming capital of Bekjing were made especially strong with stones. Many western sections of the wall are constructed from mud rather than brick and stone, and are eroding away from the weather. It is estimated that 37 miles of the wall will disappear in the next 20 years.
Astronaut Neil Armstrong who manned the spacecraft "Apollo" said the Great Wall is one of the two construction projects on earth that can be seen clearly from space.