The first Great Wall of China started as a series of smaller defensive walls built around seven powerful Chinese states during the spring and autumn Periods of Chinese history, roughly 722 B.C. to 481 B.C. "In order to defend themselves, they all built walls and stationed troops on the borders," according to Travel China. "At that time, the total length of the wall had already reached 3,107 miles."
In 221 B.C., the Emperor Qin Shi Huang came to power and established the first unified Chinese kingdom. To defend his kingdoms from the Huns in the north, Qin used some of the existing defensive walls and added some additional sections. This wall is referred to as the Qin Dynasty Great Wall. You can still see a few remains of Qin's wall in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in northwestern China, according to the China Culture website.
Over time, most of Qin's wall eroded away or was destroyed. In 1449, the Ming Dynasty built a new wall to defend China's borders against Manchurian and Mongolian tribes. The Ming Dynasty wall, constructed with stronger materials and more sophisticated building techniques, is what we know as the Great Wall today. "During this period, bricks and granite were used when the workers laid the foundation of the wall and sophisticated designs and passes were built in the places of strategic importance," according to the China Culture website.
The more than 4,000-mile-long Great Wall has become a "symbol of the bravery and wisdom of the Chinese people," according to China Highlights. The wall is an important icon in the country and Chinese leader Chairman Mao once proclaimed that "he who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man." During the past century, scholars and archeologist from China and abroad have turned their attention to the wall. In October 2002, a new 50-mile segment of the wall was found in the northwestern region of the country. In May 2007, archaeologists found another section of the wall near the Mongolian border in northern China. Research continues in the country to reveal more about the wall.
Since China opened its borders to tourism in the late 1980s, the Great Wall has become a must-see for foreign visitors and more than one million people visit the Great Wall each year. Time and the onslaught of tourism are taking their toll on the wall. "Thirty percent of the Great Wall is in ruins, and another 20 percent is in "reasonable" condition, according to a survey of a hundred sections of the wall carried out last June by the Great Wall Society of China," National Geographic reporter Paul Mooney reported in 2007. "The remaining 50 percent has already disappeared. "
In response to the deteriorating condition of the wall, China has implemented a series of regulations designed to protect it. It is now illegal to take away bricks, once a popular souvenir, from the wall. Driving on the wall is also prohibited. Tourists have been restricted to areas of the wall that have been restored and officially designated as tourist sites. Those who want to visit remote sites of the wall must arrange their visit through a designated travel organization and must receive official permission. China continues to battle to save the World Heritage Site.
