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Chinese Name: 长城
English Name: The Great Wall; Changcheng
Location: Northern China
Type: Ancient military engineering
Rating Level: AAAAA (5A)
Brief Introduction
The Great Wall长城 is not just one wall, but many different walls and fortifications that were built over the course of thousands of years to resist invading enemies. Additionally, the Great Wall is also a cultural boundary line, which distinguishes the agricultural civilization from the nomadic civilization.
It is one of the great wonders of the world, which climbs up and down, twists and turns along the ridges.
As one of the largest man-made structures on Earth, it was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1978, protected and maintained for all of humanity to enjoy. It belongs not only to China but to the world.
It was built more than 2,000 years ago during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Hundreds of years later in 221 BC the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, ordered that walls that divided his empire should be destroyed and a new wall connecting the remaining pieces should be built, creating fortifications that protected the empire from northern attackers. As the structures grew from Lintao in the west to Liaodong in the east, they collectively became known as The Great Wall.
Under the Han Dynasty, the wall grew longer still, reaching 3700 miles, and spaning from Dunhuang to the Bohai Sea. Over the next thousand years, different ruling dynasties repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the wall. The leaders of the Ming dynasty, which began in 1368, constructed the most famous version of the Great Wall. The remaining remains of the Great Wall are mainly the Ming Wall.
Originally built to keep people out of China, it is the most popular place for tourists to visit in China now, attracting millions of people each year.
What is worth to visit and see？
Architectures
The Resources of the Great Wall are mainly distributed in Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Henan, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. Among them, the length of that in Hebei province is more than 2,000 km, and Shaanxi Province is 1,838 km.
It is the spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation. It is the largest and most widely distributed cultural heritage in China. It has become a magnificent architectural miracle and an incomparable historical and cultural landscape in human history.
Shanhaiguan山海关, lying in Qinhuangdao秦皇岛 in Hebei Province, is adjacent to Yan Mountains and the Bohai Sea , hence obtaining its name. Shanhaiguan or the mountain and sea pass, where the Great Wall begins, is a famous ancient battleground in China and the first pass under heaven.
Jiayu Pass嘉峪关 is located in the southwest corner of Jiayuguan City in Gansu Province. It is the western starting point of the Ming Great Wall, which is the most complete city pass preserved, the first pass in Hexi, and also an important station on the Silk Road.
Located in Yanqing District延庆区, Beijing, the Badaling Great Wall八达岭长城 is the most representative section of the Ming Great Wall
Significance and influences
In terms of culture, it played an important role in the formation and development of the pluralistic and integrated pattern of the Chinese nation. The construction and guarding, as well as the fighting in the area of the Great Wall, promoted the extensive integration of the Han nationality and a dozen ethnic minorities in ancient China.
The military defense thought embodied by the Great Wall plays an important role in the history of military development. The emergence and development of it advanced synchronously with the whole military development of ancient, which is of great significance to the study of the formation and development of ancient military thoughts and battle theory.
The Great Wall plays an irreplaceable role in a process of China and the world embracing each other. The Great Wall, which condenses the wisdom and strength of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, is a precious legacy in human history.
The Great Wall, with its magnificent momentum and profound cultural connotation, attracted Chinese literati and international personages of all dynasties. Many Chinese literati created a large number of works of poetry, art, music, and other literary works on the Theme of the Great Wall, especially the “frontier Fortress poems” of the Tang Dynasty.
For the Chinese, the Great Wall is a symbol of will, courage, and strength, symbolizing the great will and strength of the Chinese nation. The “March of the Volunteers” has been sung for a long time, making the Great Wall in people’s minds has been sublimated into the national spirit and will of diligence, wisdom, indomitable, united, and indestructible, enhanced the Chinese nation’s pride, self-confidence, and patriotic enthusiasm.
