The Great Wall ( Wonder of Wonders )

  The conflict between the Chinese and the nomads created the need for the Great Wall. This wonder of wonders was built by various dynasties of kings across different eras. 

                            

The construction was as follows 

   (1) The Qin Dynasty built the first wall from Lintao to Liaodong between 221-207 BC

   (2) The Han Dynasty and The Sui Dynasty extended the wall from Liaodong to Mamitu (near Yumenguan) between 206 BC - 220 A

   (3) The Ming Dynasty rebuilt the wall between 1368 - 1644

Facts about The Great Wall

The Great Wall is about 2,700 years old. Building of The Great Wall took more than 2000 years and lengths more than 20,000 km. More than 10,000,000 laborers worked during the construction. There has been no major work done on the wall since 1644 other than some small works.  

The warning poem by Han  

The Process of building The Great Wall 

When The Qin Dynasty emperor structured and ordered the construction of The Great Wall, the workers were soldiers, peasants, and prisoners. During the construction, the workers were led by generals only and the soldiers were the main workforce laborers. The Qin Dynasty Emperor ordered 300,000 soldiers to build The Great Wall. The construction of the wall at the beginning was done with stones from the mountains (rammed earth) as transporting a large quantity of material was very difficult in the mountain ranges. Since low-quality materials were used, the walls started to erode over years.   

                         

Later The Han dynasty and The Sui dynasty repaired, rebuilt, and extended The Great Wall to defend themselves against the northern invaders. Later neither The Tang dynasty nor The Song dynasty did not take any efforts to extend, build or repair the damaged sections of the wall. 

The concept of the Great Wall was again started under The Ming dynasty in the 14th century. But this time construction by The Ming dynasty was more stronger and elaborate because of the use of strong bricks and stones instead of rammed earth. In this construction about 25,000 watchtowers were constructed on the wall, The Mings devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the walls. Sections of walls at Beijing (Ming Capital) were very strong. 

                           

During the end of the Ming, the Great Wall helped to defend their empire against the Manchu invasions which had begun around 1600, but the Great Wall was not able to defend them for a long time. In 1644 the Manchus crossed the wall for conquest.      

Wars with the Great Wall

1. Battle of Shanhai Pass

2. Battle of Rehe  

During the War 

Shanhaiguan is the eastern end of the Great Wall where the wall meets the ocean. The Imperial Japanese Army maintained a small garrison (a body of soldiers who guard a particular area) of around 200 men at Shanhaiguan. On the night of 1 January 1933, the Japanese garrison commander staged an "incident" by exploding a few hand grenades and firing a few shots. The Kwantung Army used this as an excuse to demand that the Chinese 626th Regiment of the Northeastern Army, guarding Shanhaiguan, evacuate the pass defenses. When the Chinese garrison refused, the Japanese 8th Division issued an ultimatum, and then attacked the pass with the support of 4 armored trains and 10 tanks. On January 3, Chinese regimental commander Shi Shian was forced to evacuate from his positions after losing half of his force. This battle/war is popularly known as the Battle of Shanhai Pass.

On February 23, 1933, the offensive was launched. On February 25 Chaoyang and Kailu were taken. On March 2 the Japanese 4th Cavalry Brigade encountered resistance from the forces of Sun Dianying, and after days of fighting took over Chifeng. Sun Dianying mounted a counterattack against the Japanese 6th Division on the same day, and at one time penetrated to near the Japanese headquarters. On March 4 Japanese cavalry and the 1st Special Tank Company with Type 89 Tanks took Chengde, the capital of Rehe. This battle/war is popularly known as the Battle of Rehe.

 👉 https://poly.google.com/view/7QTd15xX-58

 Use the above link to have a 360° view of The Great Wall of China

 

Tourist Information Guide

1. March-May 

Weather: The weather in spring in Beijing is delightful. March is still quite chilly to hike on the Great Wall. April and May is the recommended time to visit the Great Wall near Beijing in spring when the daytime temperature is on average 11°C–24°C (52°F–75°F). However, it can be windy and there are sometimes dust storms in the city.

View: The plants on the mountains turn green, and the blossoming flowers make the fresh spring Great Wall vistas even more beautiful.

Pack a warm jacket, since the mountains are cooler than the city, especially in the mornings and evenings.

Avoid the first week of May (especially May 1–3, the Labor Day holiday), one of China's "golden" travel weeks.

2. June - August

Weather: Summer in Beijing is usually hot with sizzling temperatures at noon in the city. However, the Great Wall is cooler as it's higher up, away from all the concrete, and gets more rain. The average high temperature is 30°C (86°F). July and August are the months when most of the year's rain falls, so expect some downpours. Beware of thunderstorms.

View: Blooming flowers dot the mountains and leaves turn dark green. The Great Wall snakes its way like a silver necklace, standing out clearly in the strong mountain sunlight. Everything looks better in the bright sun, but it may be too bright/hazy for the best photography.

Pack for sun and rain, bring sunglasses, sun cream, and a hat to protect you from the strong sunlight. Bring waterproofs in case of rain. Umbrellas can be ungainly on steep, wild, Great Wall sections, otherwise, they're ideal. 

Summer is peak tourist season when hotels typically raise their rates and the Great Wall (at Badaling) nearly collapses under the weight of marching tourists. You are suggested to book tours and hotels in advance or visit a less crowded sections: Jiankou, Simatai, Jinshanling, etc.

3. September - November 

Weather: Fall is often recommended as the best season to visit the Great Wall. The weather is generally comfortable, though changeable. The sky is often deep blue and clear, offering the best chance to see the Great Wall snaking off into the distance. The average temperature range is 8°C–18°C (46°F–64°F).

View: When fall comes, the mountains are blanketed by colors of red, golden, yellow, and brown, creating an amazing view, which complements the grays and paler colors of the Great Wall well.

Pack a warm jacket, as it can be quite cool in the mountains, especially in the mornings and evenings.

Avoid the first week of October, National Day Holiday, which causes traffic jams, over-crowding, transport stress, and high prices which will affect your experience. 

4. December - February 

Weather: Beijing is cold and dry with occasional snow in winter. The temperature is usually well below freezing.

View: The mountains and the wall itself are often covered with snow in winter, offering awesome snowy scenes.

Pack for winter mountain trekking, prepare down jackets, thick windproof pants, and long johns, sweaters, hats, and gloves. You might also need a mask/scarf to protect your nose on windy days, snow glasses to protect your eyes, and snow boots or crampons. 

Avoid the Chinese New Year period (a week or so in late January or early February) if you are going to the Badaling section, as it's typically crowded with Chinese tourists. 

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