Chinese wall pencil drawing. the great Wall of China

Great Chinese Wall- one of the largest and oldest architectural monuments in the world. Its total length is 8851.8 km, in one of the sections it passes near Beijing. The construction process of this structure is amazing in its scale. We will tell you about the most interesting facts and events from the history of the Wall

First, let's delve a little into the history of the great structure. It's hard to imagine how much time and human resources required to build a structure of this scale. It is unlikely that anywhere else in the world there will be a building with such a long, great and at the same time tragic story. Construction of the Great Wall of China began in the 3rd century BC during the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty, during the Warring States period (475-221 BC). In those days, the state was in dire need of protection from attacks by enemies, in particular the nomadic Xiongnu people. A fifth of the Chinese population was involved in the work, at that time it was about a million people

The wall was supposed to become the northernmost point of the planned expansion of the Chinese, as well as protect the subjects of the “Celestial Empire” from being drawn into a semi-nomadic lifestyle and assimilation with the barbarians. It was planned to clearly define the boundaries of the great Chinese civilization and to promote the unification of the empire into a single whole, since China was just beginning to form from many conquered states. Here are the boundaries of the Chinese Wall on the map:

During the Han Dynasty (206 - 220 BC), the structure was expanded westward to Dunhuang. They built many watchtowers to protect trade caravans from attacks by warring nomads. Almost all sections of the Great Wall that have survived to this day were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During this period, they built mainly from bricks and blocks, thanks to which the structure became stronger and more reliable. During this time, the Wall ran from east to west from Shanhaiguan on the shores of the Yellow Sea to the Yumenguan outpost on the border of Gansu provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The Qing Dynasty of Manchuria (1644-1911) broke the resistance of the Wall defenders due to the betrayal of Wu Sangui. During this period, the structure was treated with great disdain. During the three centuries that the Qing remained in power, the Great Wall was practically destroyed under the influence of time. Only a small section of it, passing near Beijing - Badaling - was preserved in order - it was used as a “gate to the capital”. Nowadays, this section of the wall is the most popular among tourists - it was the very first open to the public back in 1957, and also served as the finishing point of the cycling race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. US President Nixon visited it. In 1899, newspapers in the US wrote that the wall would be dismantled and a highway would be built in its place.

In 1984, on the initiative of Deng Xiaoping, a program to restore the Chinese Wall was organized, and financial assistance from Chinese and foreign companies was attracted. A collection was also held among individuals; anyone could donate any amount.

The total length of the Great Wall of China is 8 thousand 851 kilometers and 800 meters. Just think about this figure, isn’t it impressive?

Nowadays, a 60-kilometer section of the wall in the Shanxi region in northwestern China is undergoing active erosion. The main reason This is due to the country's intensive farming methods, which have gradually dried up since the 1950s. The groundwater, and the region became the epicenter of extremely strong sand storms. More than 40 kilometers of the wall have already been destroyed, and only 10 kilometers are still in place, but the height of the wall has partially decreased from five to two meters

The Great Wall was included in the list World Heritage UNESCO in 1987 as one of the greatest Chinese historical sites. In addition, this is one of the most visited attractions in the world - about 40 million tourists come here every year

There are many myths and legends surrounding such a large-scale structure. For example, the fact that this is a solid, continuous wall, built in one approach - the most real myth. In reality, the wall is a discontinuous network of individual segments built by various dynasties to protect China's northern border

During its construction, the Great Wall of China was called the longest cemetery on the planet because a large number of people died at the construction site. According to rough estimates, the construction of the wall cost the lives of more than one million people

It is logical that such a giant has broken and still holds many records. The most significant of them is the longest structure ever built by man.

As I wrote above, the Great Wall was built as many individual elements in different times. Each province built its own wall and gradually they were united into a single whole. In those days, protective structures were simply necessary and were built everywhere. In total, more than 50,000 kilometers of defensive walls have been built in China over the past 2,000 years.

Because the Chinese Wall was broken in some places, the Mongol invaders led by Genghis Khan had little difficulty in raiding China, and they subsequently conquered the northern part of the country between 1211 and 1223. The Mongols ruled China until 1368, when they were driven out by the Ming Dynasty, described above.

Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space. This pervasive myth was born in 1893 in the American magazine The Century and then re-discussed in 1932 on Robert Ripley's show, which claimed that the wall was visible from the moon - even though the first flight into space was still very far away. Nowadays, it has been proven that it is quite difficult to notice a wall from space with the naked eye. Here's a NASA photo from space, see for yourself

Another legend says that the substance used to hold the stones together was mixed with powder from human bones, and that those killed at the construction site were buried right in the wall itself to make the structure stronger. But this is not true, the solution was made from ordinary rice flour - and there are no bones or dead in the wall structure

For obvious reasons, this miracle was not included in the 7 ancient wonders of the world, but the Great Wall of China is quite rightly included in the list of 7 new wonders of the world. Another legend says that a large fire dragon paved the way for workers, indicating where to build a wall. The builders subsequently followed his tracks

While we are talking about legends, one of the most popular is about a woman named Meng Jing Nu, the wife of a farmer working on the construction of the Great Wall. When she found out that her husband died at work, she went to the wall and cried on it until it collapsed, revealing the bones of her loved one, and her wife was able to bury them

There was a whole tradition of burying those who died during the construction of the wall. Family members of the deceased carried the coffin, on which was a cage with a white rooster. The rooster's crow was supposed to keep the spirit awake dead person until the procession recounts the Great Wall. Otherwise, the spirit will forever wander along the wall

During the Ming Dynasty, more than one million soldiers were called upon to defend the country's borders against enemies on the Great Wall. As for the builders, they were recruited from the same defenders in peacetime, peasants, simply the unemployed and criminals. There was a special punishment for all those convicted and there was only one verdict - to build a wall!

The Chinese invented a wheelbarrow especially for this construction project and used it throughout the construction of the Great Wall. Some particularly dangerous parts of the Great Wall were surrounded by protective ditches, which were either filled with water or left as ditches. The Chinese used advanced weapons for defense such as axes, hammers, spears, crossbows, halberds, and Chinese invention: gunpowder

Observation towers were built along the entire Great Wall in uniform areas and could be up to 40 feet high. They were used to monitor the territory, as well as fortresses and garrisons for troops. They contained supplies necessary products and water. In case of danger, a signal was given from the tower, torches, special beacons or simply flags were lit. The western section of the Great Wall, with a long chain of observation towers, served to protect the caravans that moved along the Silk Road, a famous trade route

The last battle at the wall took place in 1938 during the Sino-Japanese War. There are many bullet marks left in the wall from those times. The highest point of the Great Wall of China is at an altitude of 1534 meters, near Beijing, while the highest low point located at sea level near Lao Long Tu. Average height the wall is 7 meters, and the width in some places reaches 8 meters, but in general ranges from 5 to 7 meters

Great Wall of China - symbol national pride, centuries-old struggle, and greatness. The country's government spends enormous amounts of money on the preservation of this architectural monument, amounting to billions of US dollars per year, hoping to preserve the wall for future generations

However, in light of the latest events in Ukraine, it may happen that all these facts will be revised. If Ukrainian historians claim that the Black Sea was dug up by the ancient Ukrainians, they also had a hand in the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, then I would not be surprised that the construction of the Great Wall of China could not have happened without them... (sarcasm)

ca 1900

Two horsemen, ca. 1900

1904

Views and types of China in the 20-30s of the twentieth century in photographs by Sergei Vargasov http://humus.livejournal.com/4238148.html

Jiuyongguan Outpost Gate on the Great Wall of China

Part of the Great Wall of China

Caravan crossing the Great Wall

The wall is not a continuous structure; it was built over several centuries and different parts countries, depending on which dynasty built it in which period of history, as this map illustrates

Ivan Petlin about his trip to Ming China in 1619. “Painting of the Chinese state and Mongolian lands.” http://www.vostlit.i..._I/21-40/26.htm

"... Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhailo Fedorovich of All Russia ordered the Cossack Ivan Petlin of the Siberian city of Tomsk to inquire about the Chinese state and about the great Ob River and about other states. And by the grace of God, the sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich, the autocrat of all Russia, it was with happiness that the Siberian Cossack Ivan Petlin went about the Chinese state and about the great Ob River and about other states, visited residential and nomadic uluses and brought them to the sovereign Tsar and Great to Prince Mikhail Fedorovich of All Russia to Moscow, a drawing and painting about the Chinese region, and in the painting he writes...

from the Mugal land, from Malchikatun city, to the Chinese Krim, to the border, riding a horse for 2 days; and the boundary wall went at noon to Bukhar, a 2-month march to Obdora the Tsar. And the city of Obdora, the king, is made of wood, and the kingdom, they say, is great and rich. And the other end of that kingdom went east, to the sea, a 4-month journey. And the wall is built of brick, and we counted 100 towers along the boundary wall at both ends, and to the sea and to Bukhar, they say, there are many many towers; and the tower from the tower stands along the shooting range. And we asked the Chinese people: why was that wall made from the sea to Bukhara and are there often towers on the wall? And the Chinese people told us: that wall runs from the sea to Bukhara because there are 2 lands /l. 367/ - one land is Mugal, and the other is Chinese, and then there is a border between the lands, and therefore the towers often stand on the wall - when some military people come to the border, and we light a fire on those towers so that our people converge on the place, whose place is on the wall and on the towers. And when they come to the border, the Black Mughals live against the wall, and abroad there are Chinese lands and cities. And across that wall of the border in the Chinese city of Shirokalgu there are five gates under one tower. And in that tower sits a clerk from the king of China Taibun, and was sent to inspect the letters and seals from Princess Malchikatuni. And the gates pass through niski and uski, you can go through on a horse bending over. And besides those gates at the line on the wall there are no others; and from all states they go to those at the same gate to the city in Shirokalga...."

The Great Wall of China is also mentioned in the “Sogdian Letters” http://www.orientalstudies.ru/rus/images/pdf/PPV_2008_1-8_14_livshits.pdf

Everyone is accustomed to a slightly different view of the Great Wall of China. But in reality, in many areas it looks In a similar way.

These remains of the Wall are located in Jiayuguan, a city in Gansu Province of China. Photo taken October 11, 2005. (Photo by Greg Baker | AP):

Remains of a 14th-century fortress in Jiayuguan, September 15, 2009. (Photo by Sigismund von Dobschutz)

This is also part of the Great Wall of China in Jiayuguang City, built during the Ming Dynasty (1372) Photo from 2003. (Photo by Goh Chai Hin | AFP | Getty Images)

Western region The Great Wall of China near Jiayuguang County, May 30, 2007. (Photo by Michael Goodine)

Time spares no one and nothing. These hills are actually also the remains of the Wall in Yinchuan City, China. (Photo by Kim Siefert)

Almost nothing remains of this part of the Great Wall of China in Jiayuguang, built in the 16th century, but it was restored in 1987. (Photo by Greg Baker | AP)

We are located 180 km north of Beijing. Unlike most other areas around the capital that have been restored for tourism, this part of the Wall, dating back to the Ming Dynasty (circa 1368), has been left in its original condition. May 24, 2006. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images)

A section of the Wall west of Yinchuan City, June 25, 2007. It should be noted that all these abandoned areas very vaguely resemble the “tourist” Great Wall of China. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images)

This photo was taken in 1998 in the Yinshan Mountains. A 200-kilometer section of the Great Wall of China, built during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), was discovered by archaeologists in Inner Mongolia - autonomous region in northern China. (Photo by Wang Yebiao, Xinhua | AP)

Old part Walls in Longkou City County (Shandong Province). (Photo by Kim Siefert)

The wall northeast of Beijing, December 29, 1999. Time has not been kind to this part either. (Photo by Greg Baker | AP)

And this is the “tourist” part of the Great Wall of China near Beijing. (Photo by Saad Akhtar)

A section of the Wall on the outskirts of Beijing called "Badaling", June 1, 2010. (Photo by Liu Jin | AFP | Getty Images)

China's Department of Culture periodically takes measurements of the Great Wall of China, March 14, 2006. (Photo by China Photos | Getty Images)

A well-preserved part of the Wall near the village of Dongjiakou. (Photo by Kim Siefert)

Some sections of the Great Wall of China have been swallowed up by nature...(Photo by Kim Siefert)

Relatively new photo Walls from Hebei Province, July 17, 2012. (Photo by Ed Jones | AFP | Getty Images):

Some tourists set up tents right on the Wall. Badaling Site, September 24, 2010. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images):

Another section of the Wall, merged with nature. 80 km from Beijing, September 30, 2012. (Photo by David Gray | Reuters):

Because the Wall goes through mountains, deserts and rivers, there are sections where it rises almost vertically upward. Hebei Province, July 17, 2012. (Photo by Ed Jones | AFP | Getty Images):

The “tourist” part of the Great Wall of China, 80 km from the center of Beijing, May 7, 2011. (Photo by Jason Lee | Reuters)

The Great Chinese Hoax January 2nd, 2014

Clickable 2500 px

“There are roads that are not taken; there are armies that are not attacked; there are fortresses over which they do not fight; there are areas over which people do not fight; There are orders from the sovereign that are not carried out.”

"Art of War". Sun Tzu

In China, they will definitely tell you about the majestic monument stretching several thousand kilometers and about the founder of the Qin dynasty, thanks to whose command the Great Wall of China was built in China more than two thousand years ago.

However, some modern scientists very much doubt that this symbol of power Chinese Empire existed until the mid-20th century. So what do they show tourists? - you say... And tourists are shown what was built by the Chinese communists in the second half of the last century.

According to the official historical version, the Great Wall, intended to protect the country from attacks by nomadic peoples, began to be built in the 3rd century BC. by the will of the legendary emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, the first ruler who united China into one state.

It is believed that the Great Wall, built mainly during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), has survived to this day, and in total there are three historical periods active construction of the Great Wall: the Qin era in the 3rd century BC, the Han era in the 3rd century and the Ming era.

Essentially under the name " The great Wall of China» combine at least three major projects into different historical eras, which, according to experts, total total length walls are at least 13 thousand km.

With the fall of the Ming and the establishment of the Manchu Qin dynasty (1644-1911) in China, construction work ceased. Thus, the wall, whose construction was completed in the mid-17th century, has largely been preserved.

It is clear that the construction of such a grandiose fortification structure required the Chinese state to mobilize enormous material and human resources to the limit of its capabilities.

Historians claim that at the same time up to a million people were employed in the construction of the Great Wall and the construction was accompanied by monstrous human casualties (according to other sources, three million builders were involved, that is, half male population ancient China).

It is not clear, however, what the ultimate meaning was seen by the Chinese authorities in the construction of the Great Wall, since China did not have the necessary military forces, not only to defend, but at least to reliably control the wall along its entire length.

Probably due to this circumstance, nothing specific is known about the role of the Great Wall in the defense of China. However, Chinese rulers stubbornly built these walls for two thousand years. Well, it must be that we are simply unable to understand the logic of the ancient Chinese.

But this is not the front door. These remains of the Wall are located in Jiayuguan, a city district in the Gansu province of the People's Republic of China. Photo taken October 11, 2005. (Photo by Greg Baker | AP):

However, many sinologists are aware of the weak persuasiveness of the rational motives proposed by researchers of the subject that must have prompted the ancient Chinese to create the Great Wall. And to explain more than strange story unique structure, philosophical tirades are uttered with approximately the following content:

“The wall was supposed to serve as the extreme northern line of the possible expansion of the Chinese themselves; it was supposed to protect the subjects of the “Middle Empire” from transitioning to a semi-nomadic way of life, from merging with the barbarians. The wall was supposed to clearly define the boundaries of Chinese civilization and promote consolidation united empire, just made up of a series of conquered kingdoms."

Scientists were simply amazed by the blatant absurdity of this fortification. The Great Wall cannot be called an ineffective defensive object; from any sane military point of view, it is blatantly absurd. As you can see, the wall runs along the ridges of hard-to-reach mountains and hills.

Why build a wall in the mountains, where not only nomads on horseback, but also a foot army are unlikely to reach?!.. Or were the strategists of the Celestial Empire afraid of an attack by tribes of wild climbers? Apparently, the threat of invasion by hordes of evil climbers really frightened the ancient Chinese authorities, since with the primitive construction technology available to them, the difficulties of constructing defensive wall in the mountains increased incredibly.

And the crown of fantastic absurdity, if you look closely, you can see that the wall in some places where mountain ranges intersect branches, forming mockingly meaningless loops and forks.

It turns out that tourists are usually shown one of the sections of the Great Wall, located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the area of Mount Badaling, the length of the wall is 50 km. The wall is in excellent condition, which is not surprising - its reconstruction in this area was carried out in the 50s of the 20th century. In fact, the wall was built anew, although it is claimed that it was on old foundations.

The Chinese have nothing more to show; there are no other credible remains from the allegedly existing thousands of kilometers of the Great Wall.

A section of the Wall west of Yinchuan City, June 25, 2007. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images):

Let's return to the question of why the Great Wall was built in the mountains. There are reasons here, except for those that may have recreated and extended, perhaps, the old fortifications of the pre-Manchu era that existed in the gorges and mountain defiles.

Construction of the ancient historical monument in the mountains has its advantages. It is difficult for an observer to ascertain whether the ruins of the Great Wall really extend for thousands of kilometers along mountain ranges, as he is told.

In addition, in the mountains it is impossible to determine how old the foundations of the wall are. Over several centuries, stone buildings on ordinary soil, carried by sedimentary rocks, inevitably sink several meters into the ground, and this is easy to check.

And on rocky ground similar phenomenon is not observed, and a recent building can easily be passed off as very ancient. And besides, the mountains lack numerous local population, a potential inconvenient witness to the construction of a historical landmark.

It is unlikely that initially the fragments of the Great Wall north of Beijing were built on a significant scale; even for China at the beginning of the 19th century this is a difficult task.

Tourist part

It seems that those several tens of kilometers of the Great Wall that are shown to tourists were, for the most part, first erected during Great Helmsman Mao Zedong. Also a Chinese emperor of his kind, but still it cannot be said that he is very ancient

Here is one opinion: you can falsify something that exists in the original, for example, a banknote or a painting. There is an original and you can copy it, which is what forger artists and counterfeiters do. If a copy is made well, it can be difficult to identify a fake and prove that it is not the original. And in the case of the Chinese wall, it cannot be said that it is fake. Because there was no real wall in ancient times.

Therefore, the original product of modern creativity of hardworking Chinese builders has nothing to compare with. Rather, it is a kind of quasi-historically based grandiose architectural creation. A product of the famous Chinese desire for order. Today it is Great tourist attraction worthy of being included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Remains of a 14th-century fortress in Jiayuguan, September 15, 2009. (Photo by Sigismund von Dobschutz):

These are the questions I asked Valentin Sapunov

1. Who, exactly, was the Wall supposed to protect from? Official version– from nomads, Huns, Vandals – unconvincing. At the time of the creation of the Wall, China was the most powerful state in the region, and perhaps in the whole world. His army was well armed and trained. This can be judged very specifically - in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang, archaeologists unearthed a full-scale model of his army. Thousands terracotta warriors in full equipment, with horses and carts, they were supposed to accompany the emperor to the next world. The northern peoples of that time did not have serious armies; they lived mainly in the Neolithic period. They could not pose a danger to the Chinese army. One suspects that from a military point of view the Wall was of little use.

2. Why was a significant part of the wall built in the mountains? It passes along ridges, over cliffs and canyons, and meanders along inaccessible rocks. This is not how defensive structures are built. In the mountains and without protective walls, the movement of troops is difficult. Even in our time in Afghanistan and Chechnya, modern mechanized troops do not move over mountain ridges, but only along gorges and passes. To stop troops in the mountains, small fortresses dominating the gorges are enough. To the north and south of the Great Wall lie plains. It would be more logical and many times cheaper to build a wall there, and the mountains would serve as an additional natural obstacle to the enemy.

3. Why does the wall, despite its fantastic length, have a relatively small height - from 3 to 8 meters, rarely up to 10? This is much lower than most European castles and Russian kremlins. Strong army, equipped with assault technology (ladders, mobile wooden towers) could, by choosing a vulnerable spot on a relatively flat area of terrain, overcome the Wall and invade China. This is what happened in 1211, when China was easily conquered by the hordes of Genghis Khan.

4. Why is the Great Wall of China oriented on both sides? All fortifications have battlements and curbs on the walls on the side facing the enemy. They don’t put the teeth towards their own. This is pointless and would complicate the maintenance of soldiers on the walls and the supply of ammunition. In many places, the battlements and loopholes are oriented deep into their territory, and some towers are moved there, to the south. It turns out that the builders of the wall assumed the presence of the enemy on their side. Who were they going to fight in this case?

His personality was extraordinary and in many ways typical of an autocrat. He combined brilliant organizational talent and statesmanship with pathological cruelty, suspicion and tyranny. At a very young age of 13, he became the prince of the state of Qin. It was here that the technology of ferrous metallurgy was first mastered. It was immediately applied to the needs of the army. Possessing more advanced weapons than their neighbors, equipped with bronze swords, the army of the Principality of Qin quickly conquered a significant part of the country. From 221 BC a successful warrior and politician became the head of a united Chinese state - an empire. From that time on, he began to bear the name Qin Shihuang (in another transcription - Shi Huangdi). Like any usurper, he had many enemies. The emperor surrounded himself with an army of bodyguards. Fearing assassins, he created the first magnetic weapon control in his palace. On the advice of experts, he ordered an arch made of magnetic iron ore. If the person entering had an iron weapon hidden, magnetic forces would tear it out from under his clothes. The guards immediately kept up and began to find out why the person entering wanted to enter the palace armed. Fearing for his power and life, the emperor fell ill with persecution mania. He saw conspiracies everywhere. He chose the traditional method of prevention - mass terror. At the slightest suspicion of disloyalty, people were captured, tortured and executed. The squares of Chinese cities were constantly resounding with the cries of people who were cut into pieces, boiled alive in cauldrons, and fried in frying pans. Severe terror pushed many to flee the country.

Constant stress wrong image life shook the emperor's health. A duodenal ulcer developed. After 40 years, symptoms of early aging appeared. Some wise men, or rather charlatans, told him a legend about a tree growing across the sea in the east. The fruits of the tree supposedly cure all diseases and prolong youth. The emperor ordered to immediately supply the expedition for the fabulous fruits. Several large junks reached the shores of modern Japan, founded a settlement there and decided to stay. They rightly decided that the mythical tree did not exist. If they return empty-handed, the cool emperor will swear a lot, and maybe come up with something worse. This settlement later became the beginning of the formation of the Japanese state.

Seeing that science was unable to restore health and youth, he brought down his anger on the scientists. The “historical”, or rather hysterical decree of the emperor read: “Burn all books and execute all scientists!” The emperor, under public pressure, nevertheless granted amnesty to some of the specialists and works related to military affairs and agriculture. However, most of the priceless manuscripts were burned, and 460 scientists, who constituted the then flower of the intellectual elite, ended their lives in cruel torture.

It was this emperor, as noted, who came up with the idea of the Great Wall. Construction work did not start from scratch. There were already defensive structures in the north of the country. The idea was to combine them into a single fortification system. For what?

The simplest explanation is the most realistic

Let's resort to analogies. Egyptian pyramids had no practical meaning. They demonstrated the greatness of the pharaohs and their power, the ability to force hundreds of thousands of people to do any action, even a meaningless one. There are more than enough such structures on Earth, with the sole purpose of exalting power.

Likewise, the Great Wall is a symbol of the power of Shihuang and other Chinese emperors who picked up the baton grand construction. It should be noted that, unlike many other similar monuments, the Wall is picturesque and beautiful in its own way, harmoniously combined with nature. Talented fortifiers who knew a lot about the Eastern understanding of beauty were involved in the work.

There was a second need for the Wall, a more prosaic one. Waves of imperial terror and the tyranny of feudal lords and officials forced peasants to flee en masse in search of a better life.

The main route was north, to Siberia. It was there that Chinese men dreamed of finding land and freedom. Interest in Siberia as an analogue of the Promised Land has long excited ordinary Chinese, and for a long time it has been common for this people to spread throughout the world.

Historical analogies suggest themselves. Why did Russian settlers go to Siberia? For a better life, for land and freedom. They were fleeing from the royal wrath and lordly tyranny.

To stop uncontrolled migration to the north, which is undermining unlimited power the emperor and nobles and created the Great Wall. It would not have held a serious army. However, the Wall could block the path of peasants walking along mountain paths, burdened with simple belongings, wives and children. And if men further away, led by a sort of Chinese Ermak, went to break through, they were met by a rain of arrows from behind the battlements facing their own people. There are more than enough analogues of such sad events in history. Let's remember the Berlin Wall. Officially built against Western aggression, its goal was to stop the flight of the inhabitants of the GDR to where life was better, or at least it seemed so. For a similar purpose, in Stalin’s times they created the most fortified border in the world, which was nicknamed the “Iron Curtain,” over tens of thousands of kilometers. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Great Wall of China has acquired a double meaning in the minds of the peoples of the world. On the one hand, it is a symbol of China. On the other hand, it is a symbol of Chinese isolation from the rest of the world.

This is also part of the Great Wall of China in Jiayuguang City, built during the Ming Dynasty (1372) Photo from 2003. (Photo by Goh Chai Hin | AFP | Getty Images):

There is even an assumption that the “Great Wall” is the creation not of the ancient Chinese, but of their northern neighbors.

Back in 2006, President of the Academy basic sciences Andrei Aleksandrovich Tyunyaev, in the article “The Great Wall of China was built... not by the Chinese!”, made an assumption about the non-Chinese origin of the Great Wall. In fact, modern China has appropriated the achievement of another civilization. In modern Chinese historiography, the purpose of the wall was also changed: initially it protected the North from the South, and not the Chinese south from the “northern barbarians.” Researchers say that the loopholes of a significant part of the wall face south, not north. This can be seen in works of Chinese drawings, a number of photographs, and in the most ancient sections of the wall that have not been modernized for the needs of the tourism industry.

According to Tyunyaev, the last sections of the Great Wall were built similarly to Russian and European medieval fortifications, the main task of which was protection from the impact of guns. The construction of such fortifications began no earlier than the 15th century, when cannons became widespread on the battlefields. In addition, the wall marked the border between China and Russia. At that period of history, the border between Russia and China passed along the “Chinese” wall.” On an 18th century map of Asia that was produced Royal Academy in Amsterdam, in this region there are two geographical formations: in the north was Tartarie, and in the south was China, the northern border of which ran approximately along the 40th parallel, i.e. exactly along the Great Wall. On this Dutch map, the Great Wall is indicated by a thick line and labeled "Muraille de la Chine". From French this phrase is translated as “Chinese wall”, but can also be translated as “wall from China”, or “wall delimiting from China”. Besides, political significance Other maps confirm the Great Wall: on the 1754 map “Carte de l’Asie” the wall also runs along the border between China and Great Tartary (Tartaria). In the academic 10-volume World History posted map of the second Qing Empire half XVII- XVIII centuries, which shows in detail the Great Wall, which runs exactly along the border between Russia and China.

The ARCHITECTURAL style of the wall, now located in China, is imprinted with the “handprints” of its creators by the construction features. Elements of the wall and towers, similar to fragments of the wall, in the Middle Ages can only be found in the architecture of ancient Russian defensive structures of the central regions of Russia - “northern architecture”.

Andrey Tyunyaev proposes to compare two towers - from the Chinese Wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. The shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed at the top. From the wall there is an entrance leading into both towers, covered with a round arch made of the same brick as the wall with the tower. Each of the towers has two upper “working” floors. On the first floor of both towers there are round-arched windows. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130–160 centimeters.

There are loopholes on the top (second) floor. They are made in the form of rectangular narrow grooves approximately 35–45 cm wide. The number of such loopholes in the Chinese tower is 3 deep and 4 wide, and in the Novgorod one - 4 deep and 5 wide. On the top floor of the “Chinese” tower, along its very edge there are square holes. There are similar holes in the Novgorod tower, and the ends of the rafters sticking out of them, on which the wooden roof is supported.

The situation is the same in comparing the Chinese tower and the tower of the Tula Kremlin. The Chinese and Tula towers have the same number of loopholes in width - there are 4 of them. And the same number of arched openings - 4 each. On the upper floor between the large loopholes there are small ones - in the Chinese and in the Tula towers. The shape of the towers is still the same. The Tula tower, like the Chinese one, uses white stone. The vaults are made in the same way: at the Tula one there are gates, at the “Chinese” one there are entrances.

For comparison, you can also use the Russian towers of the Nikolsky Gate (Smolensk) and the northern fortress wall of the Nikitsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky, 16th century), as well as the tower in Suzdal ( mid XVII century). Conclusion: the design features of the towers of the Chinese Wall reveal almost exact analogies among the towers of Russian Kremlins.

What does a comparison of surviving towers say? Chinese city Beijing with medieval towers of Europe? The fortress walls of the Spanish city of Avila and Beijing are very similar to each other, especially in the fact that the towers are located very often and have practically no architectural adaptations for military needs. The Beijing towers have only an upper deck with loopholes, and are laid out at the same height as the rest of the wall.

Neither the Spanish nor the Beijing towers reveal such high similarity with the defensive towers of the Chinese Wall, as demonstrated by the towers of Russian Kremlins and fortress walls. And this is something for historians to think about.

Time spares no one and nothing. These hills are actually also the remains of the Wall in Yinchuan City, China. (Photo by Kim Siefert):

The chronicles say that the wall took two thousand years to build. In terms of defense, construction is absolutely pointless. Is it that while the wall was being built in one place, in other places nomads walked around China unhindered for two thousand years? But the chain of fortresses and ramparts can be built and improved within two thousand years. Fortresses are needed to defend garrisons from superior enemy forces, as well as to house mobile cavalry detachments in order to immediately go in pursuit of a detachment of robbers who have crossed the border.

I thought for a long time, who and why built this senseless cyclopean structure in China? There is simply no one except Mao Zedong! With his characteristic wisdom, he found an excellent means of adapting to work tens of millions of healthy men who had previously fought for thirty years and knew nothing but how to fight. It is unthinkable to imagine what kind of chaos would begin in China if so many soldiers were demobilized at the same time!

And the fact that the Chinese themselves believe that the wall has stood for two thousand years is explained very simply. A battalion of demobilizers comes to an open field, the commander explains to them: “Here, in this very place, the Great Wall of China stood, but the evil barbarians destroyed it, we have to restore it.” And millions of people sincerely believed that they did not build, but only restored the Great Wall of China. In fact, the wall is made of smooth, clearly sawn blocks. Is it that in Europe they didn’t know how to cut stone, but in China they were able to? In addition, they sawed soft stone, and it was better to build fortresses from granite or basalt, or from something no less hard. But they learned to cut granites and basalts only in the twentieth century. Along its entire length of four and a half thousand kilometers, the wall is made of monotonous blocks of the same size, but over two thousand years the methods of stone processing inevitably had to change. And construction methods have changed over the centuries.

Almost nothing remains of this part of the Great Wall of China in Jiayuguang, built in the 16th century, but it was restored in 1987. (Photo by Greg Baker | AP):

Of particular interest is the version of A. Galanin, a famous botanist who made dozens of expeditions, including to China.

This researcher believes that the Great Wall of China was built to protect against sandstorms deserts Ala Shan and Ordos. He noticed that on the map compiled at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Russian traveler P. Kozlov, one can see how the Wall runs along the border of shifting sands, and in some places it has significant branches. But it was near the deserts that researchers and archaeologists discovered several parallel walls. Galanin explains this phenomenon very simply: when one wall was covered with sand, another was built. The researcher does not deny the military purpose of the Wall in its eastern part, but the western part of the Wall, in his opinion, served the function of protecting agricultural areas from natural disasters.

The western edge of the Great Wall of China near Jiayuguang County, May 30, 2007. (Photo by Michael Goodine):

FIGHTERS OF THE INVISIBLE FRONT

Perhaps the answers lie in the beliefs of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom themselves? It is difficult for us, people of our time, to believe that our ancestors would erect barriers to repel the aggression of imaginary enemies, for example, ethereal otherworldly entities with evil intentions. But the whole point is that our distant predecessors considered evil spirits to be completely real beings.

Residents of China (both today and in the past) are convinced that the world around them is inhabited by thousands of demonic creatures that are dangerous to humans. One of the names of the wall sounds like “the place where 10 thousand spirits live.”

Another interesting fact: the Great Wall of China does not stretch in a straight line, but in a winding one. And the features of the relief have nothing to do with it. If you look closely, you will find that even in flat areas it “winds” around. What was the logic of the ancient builders?

The ancients believed that all these creatures could move exclusively in a straight line and were unable to avoid obstacles along the way. Perhaps the Great Wall of China was built to block their path?

Meanwhile, it is known that Emperor Qin Shihuang Di constantly conferred with astrologers and consulted with fortunetellers during construction. According to legend, the soothsayers told him that a terrible sacrifice could bring glory to the ruler and provide reliable defense to the state - the bodies of the unfortunate people buried in the wall who died during the construction of the structure. Who knows, perhaps these nameless builders are still standing eternally guarding the borders of the Celestial Empire...

Of course, these are not all versions, but which one do you adhere to?

Let's look at the photo of the wall:

The old part of the Wall in Longkou City County (Shandong Province). (Photo by Kim Siefert):

The wall northeast of Beijing, December 29, 1999. Time has not been kind to this part either. (Photo by Greg Baker | AP):

And this is the “tourist” part of the Great Wall of China near Beijing. (Photo by Saad Akhtar):

A section of the Wall on the outskirts of Beijing called "Badaling", June 1, 2010. (Photo by Liu Jin | AFP | Getty Images):

China's Department of Culture periodically takes measurements of the Great Wall of China, March 14, 2006. (Photo by China Photos | Getty Images):

A well-preserved part of the Wall near the village of Dongjiakou. (Photo by Kim Siefert):

Some sections of the Great Wall of China have been swallowed up by nature...(Photo by Kim Siefert):

A relatively new photograph of the Wall from Hebei Province, July 17, 2012. (Photo by Ed Jones | AFP | Getty Images):

Some tourists set up tents right on the Wall. Badaling Site, September 24, 2010. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images):

Another section of the Wall, merged with nature. 80 km from Beijing, September 30, 2012. (Photo by David Gray | Reuters):

Because the Wall goes through mountains, deserts and rivers, there are sections where it rises almost vertically upward. Hebei Province, July 17, 2012. (Photo by Ed Jones | AFP | Getty Images):

The “tourist” part of the Great Wall of China, 80 km from the center of Beijing, May 7, 2011. (Photo by Jason Lee | Reuters):

Autumn landscapes near the Great Wall of China. (Photo by Kim Siefert):

Old photo. This is US President Richard Nixon standing on the Great Wall of China near Beijing on February 24, 1972. (AP Photo):

Section of the Wall near Beijing. (Photo by Kim Siefert):

Section of the Badaling Wall and mountains, September 24, 2010. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images):

Merging with nature, Qinhuangdao city district. (Photo by Kim Siefert):

Event at the Watchtower for the occasion International Day anti-drug counter in Beijing, June 26, 2006. (Photo by China Photos | Getty Images):

Section of the Great Wall of China Simatai. In 1987 it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (Photo by Bobby Yip | Reuters):

Let’s finish today’s review with an interesting section of the Great Wall of China called “Head of the Old Dragon” from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This is where the Wall meets the sea. Located in Hebei Province, July 9, 2009. (Photo by Andrew Wong | Getty Images):

But remember, . Look what it is . And here The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

In the 7th century BC. construction has begun northern border China in order to protect itself from external enemies. The constructed wall extended for thousands of kilometers and was called the Great Chinese wall. Thousands of load-bearing wall structures have been built over the centuries across deserts, mountains and rivers. The result of the work was a wall with a length of 20,000. Today the wall can be divided conditionally into two parts - the tourist one, which is maintained in good condition and runs along big cities, and remote sections of the wall, which are gradually “eaten up” by nature and which are not accessible to the eyes of tourists.

1. In many areas, the Chinese Wall looks exactly like this. Which is a little unusual for people to see.

2. These remains of a wall are located in Jiayuguan City, Gansu Province of China, 2005 (Greg Baker | AP)

3. This small “fence” is also part of the Great Wall of China, built during the Ming Dynasty (1372) (Goh Chai Hin | AFP | Getty Images)

4. Remains of a 14th-century fortress in Jiayuguang, 2009. (Sigismund von Dobschutz)

5.

6. Western edge of the Great Wall of China near Jiayuguang County, 2007. (Michael Goodine)

7. These shapeless hills are the remains of a wall in Yinchuan County (Kim Siefert)

8. This part of the great wall was almost completely destroyed, but was restored in 1987 (Greg Baker | AP)

9. Location 180 km north of Beijing. Unlike other sections of the wall surrounding the capital that have been restored for tourists, this part of the wall (built during the Ming Dynasty, 1368) has been left in its original condition. (Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images)

10. The Great Wall of China west of Yinchuan City only vaguely resembles the “tourist” area of the wall (Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images)

11. Yinshan Mountains 1998. This 200-kilometer stretch of wall, built during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 century AD), was discovered by archaeologists in the autonomous region of northern China - Inner Mongolia. (Wang Yebiao, Xinhua | AP)

12. The old part of the Wall in Longkou County, Shandong Province. (Photo by Kim Siefert)

13. Destroyed wall northeast of Beijing. (Greg Baker | AP)

14.Tourist part of the wall near Beijing (Saad Akhtar)

15. A section of the Wall called “Badaling” is located on the outskirts of Beijing. (Liu Jin | AFP | Getty Images)

16. The photo shows the process of measuring the Great Wall of China, which is periodically done by the Department of Culture of China. (China Photos | Getty Images)

17. The wall near the village of Dongjiakou (Kim Siefert) is quite well preserved

18. Some sections of the Great Wall of China were literally swallowed up by nature (Kim Siefert)

19. Wall near Hebei province, 2012. (Ed Jones | AFP | Getty Images)

20. Some tourists set up tent cities right on the wall. Photo of tents at the Badaling site (Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images)

21. A section of the wall merged with nature just 80 km from Beijing (David Gray | Reuters)

22. Arch in the former watchtower. (David Gray | Reuters)

23. In some mountain areas the wall rises almost vertically upward. Hebei Province, 2012. (Ed Jones | AFP | Getty Images)

24. The “tourist” part of the Great Wall near the center of Beijing. (Jason Lee | Reuters)

25. Autumn at the Great Wall of China (Kim Siefert)

26. US President Richard Nixon visited the Great Wall of China in 1972. (AP)

27. Wedding photo shoot on the wall. (David Gray | Reuters)

28. Many tourists come to Beijing to walk along the Great Wall of China. Often parents take their children with them. In order to travel to China, permission for the child to leave from both parents is required.

29. Watchtower near Beijing. (Kim Siefert)

30. Arch at the Badaling site and mountains. (Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images)

31. Another photo of merging with nature, Qinhuangdao County. (Kim Siefert)

32. Not far from Beijing. (Ng Han Guan | AP)

33. In honor of International Anti-Drug Day, an action was held on the Chinese Wall in 2006. (China Photos | Getty Images)

34. Section of the Great Wall of Symatai. In 1987 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Bobby Yip | Reuters)

35. Wall in Chinese province Hebei. (Alexander F. Yuan | AP)

36. The place where the wall meets the sea is called "Old Dragon's Head" and was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is located in Hebei Province. (Andrew Wong | Getty Images)