Known as the only manmade structure that is visible from the moon, the Great Wall of China is one of the world’s most impressive architectural feats. The wall itself is a symbol of the long history of China. Today it remains a symbol of the country’s enduring strength, but it once served the purpose of trying to prevent invaders from entering China, a purpose it never successfully completed. It eventually became what many historians claimed to be a barrier between Chinese civilization and the outside modern world. So who began building the Great Wall, and who were they trying to keep out of China? Who was actually involved in building the actual wall? This wall has such an extensive history; we better get started.

China was originally divided into individual kingdoms during the Warring States Period. It was Quin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the unified China, who called for the demolition of a number of existing walls that separated some of these kingdoms. These walls along the northern border would be joined together into a single wall that would protect China from attacks in the north. However, this project was one of the most ambition projects ever undertaken by any civilization, with plans for the wall to be about one-third of a mile. General Meng Tian directed the project, directing soldiers and convicts to build the wall. It is said that as many as 400,000 people died during the wall’s construction; many of these workers were buried within the wall itself.

The wall was constructed with earth and stone as building materials, and it was constructed so that certain sections overlapped for maximum security. The Wall rose about 15 to 30 feet in height, with guard towers distributed at intervals. However, when the emperor died, the Great Wall went into great disrepair. During the Northern Wei dynasty, the Wall was repaired and extended to defend against attacks from other tribes. Additionally, more than 900 miles of the wall was repaired by the Bei Qi kingdom, and the Wall was extended by the Sui dynasty a number of times. Sadly, the Great Wall lost its importance with the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang dynasty from 618 to 907.

During the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, the Great Wall of China as we know it today was actually constructed. It was during this time period that the Chinese culture flourished and there was a large amount of construction which included the Great Wall, bridges, temples, and pagodas. The construction of the Great Wall as it is known today began around 1474. After an initial phase of territorial expansion, Ming rulers took a largely defensive stance, and their restoration and extension of the Great Wall was key to this strategy. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Great Wall was broken through by the Manchus from central and southern Manchuria. To this day, roadways have been cut through the wall in various points, and many sections have deteriorated after centuries of neglect. The best-known section is called Badaling and is located 43 miles northwest of Beijing. This was rebuilt in the late 1950’s.