Great Wall Attractions

Following the unification of the country in 221 BC Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (221-210 BC) ordered the various defensive walls to be joined up to form one great wall which, however, ran further north than the present Wall.

Under the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 9), the wall was strengthened and extended west beyond Dunhuang up to the fortress Yumen Guan. In the east the wall extended up to the Liaodong peninsula. The work was completed by soldiers and by those doing socage, especially the peasants. During the Sui dynasty (581-618) a new wall was begun, this time south of the old wall. The Ming (1368-1644) wall that is preserved until the present day followed the same course. It was built as a protection against the Mongols after they had been expelled from China (Mongol Yuan dynasty, 1271-1368). In the stretch between the Bohai gulf (fortress Shanhaiguan) and the Yellow River, the Ming wall was built to noticeably more impressive dimensions than its precursor, and especially in the area near Beijing it had multiple graduations, with the most important passes being additionally fortified. Troops were stationed along its entire run; the wall was guarded from the watch towers that had been erected on prominent points - every 200-330m (650-980ft) or so. During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) which ruled over Mongolia, Manchuria and other territories north of the wall as well as the Chinese mainland, this construction was no longer needed and fell into disrepair. Only after the People's Republic had been formed in 1949, and especially during the 1980s, were some stretches restored as a tourist sight.