15 Fascinating Facts About The Great Wall Of China

The Great Wall of China, the longest man-made structure on the planet, is a top UNESCO World Heritage Site in China and must-visit place for any trip to China. In order to help you understand the Wall well I’m bringing you some of the most fascinating Great Wall facts.

great-wall-china1. The Great Wall is one of the wonders of the world. A famous Chinese saying goes “If you don’t go to the Great Wall, you’re not a real man”

great wall of china2. The Great Wall, known as “long Wall of 10,000 Li” in China, extends about 6,500 kilometers in total.

great wall 243. The Great Wall was originally built by various states in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC – 476 BC) over 2,500 years ago.

great wall 44. The earliest wall was mainly made of earth and stone. The Ming Dynasty wall we see today was largely made of brick.

brick great wall5. It is a rumor that the mortar contained human bones. Actually the mortar to hold the bricks together was made of rice flour.

jinshanling great wall6. The Great Wall includes guard towers, beacon towers, stairways, bridges and battlements.

how great wall built7. The wall was constructed by laborers including soldiers, common people and criminals. It is estimated that up to 1 million people died while constructing the Great Wall!

on the great wall8. The Great Wall has an average height of 7.8 meters and 4.6–9.1m wide at the base. Five to six horses can be ridden abreast along it.

great wall 89. Most of the original wall no longer exists. The Great Wall we see today was built mostly in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644).

different sections of great wall10. The Great Wall is not a continuous wall but is a collection of different walls made by different Chinese Dynasties.

ancient Hun minority11. The Great Wall was built as a means of protecting China against attacks from the north nomads.

William_Lindesay great wall12. William Lindesay, a British man, hiked 2,470 km alone on foot along the route of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall and wrote a book called “Alone on the Great Wall”.

mengjiangnv13. A famous legend goes that Lady MengJiang‘s husband was recruited to build the Great Wall and died due to harsh labor. Meng was so sad and her weeping made a section of the wall collapsed, revealing her husband’s bones so she could bury them.

earth from space14. The Great Wall is the longest man made structure on earth. However it is a myth that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space with the naked eye.

Great Wall China15. The Great Wall was listed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

1 Response

  1. Sam says:

    Very interesting facts about China.. I wish I can come and visit there too.. Like how many hours does it take to go to the top? Just curious.

Leave a Reply to Sam Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *