subject: The Great Wall Of China A Legend Among Human Ambition [print this page] Of the many monuments attesting to the glory of Chinas 4000 year old civilization, the Great Wall of China is a symbol of the nations all-encompassing spirit of endurance, perseverance and sheer might of manpower. It is the longest manmade structure ever built, stretching west from Shanhai Pass for 6000km up to Lop Nur and wrapping itself protectively around the southern periphery of the inner Mongolian borders like a serpentine dragon. Arguably the most ambitious architectural feat ever undertaken by the ancients, the construction of this legendary fortification spanned an intermittent period of time between the 5th and 16th centuries and saw the rise and fall of at least four great Chinese ruling dynasties.
The Great Wall is not actually one wall, nor does it constitute entirely of walls. It is a fortification that also comprises trenches and natural defenses of hills and rivers. Many walls have been built and torn down since Emperor Qin first conquered the warring states and began to connect their existing fortifications to protect the whole of his newly unified kingdom. Originally built from rammed earth, most of the standing structure of tiles and stone brick seen today was built during the Ming Dynasty. Thousands of soldiers and commoners who were recruited as labour died in the construction of the wall; their entombed remains have been discovered within sections of the walls by archeologists. Stories of its builders have passed into myth and folktale of Chinese culture, integrating The Wall forever in the nations spiritual consciousness.
The scenery along the wall is incredibly diverse, but one cannot help but wonder at the travails of the builders who had to carry stone and lumber up the steep hills and hazardous terrains. However, their efforts were not in vain, as the wall was never breached until the Shun dynasty, when the gates were opened to the Manchu army by a betrayer.
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