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The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall, which was built about 500 years
ago, is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.
People disagree about exactly how long it is, but it runs in sections
across Northern China and is said to be approximately 21,000 kilometres
long.
A common myth is that the wall can be seen from space. This is not true
at all and is based on a rumour started by Robert Ripley, an American
writer and illustrator, 30 years before anyone had even been in space!
'The Long Wall', as the Chinese call it, was built with stones, bricks,
tiles, earth and wooden material.
The wall was completed in 1644, but it took more than 2,000 years to
build.
Contrary to popular belief, it was not built to stop an invasion by the
Mongols. It was commissioned by the First Emperor of China who died in
210 BC. The Mongols didn't appear on the scene until about 800 AD.
Another false claim is that there are bodies of labourer’s buried in the
wall. In fact, no human bones have ever been found in the wall and there
is no evidence of this being true.
There are more than 20,000 watchtowers along the wall as it was built to
protect the country against invasions from nomads and enemies and to
make it easier to collect duty for goods that were transported along the
Silk Road.
There are, in fact, several walls and not just one. Some sections are
wide, well-kept and attract the most tourists. There are other sections,
however, that are crumbling, overgrown and in very bad condition. So bad
that it’s impossible to walk on these parts. In many places, the Wall
doubles, triples even quadruples itself. And all of these bits overlap
each other in time. Some sections are in a right mess!
Today the Great Wall is the most popular tourist attraction in China
with more than 10 million visitors per year and it was designated a
UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
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