Great Wall of China

why Great wall of china is special

The Great Wall of China is by far mankind's most extensive construction endeavor.In its heyday in the 16th and 17th centuries, it snaked 6400 kilometers (4000 miles) across northern China

It zig-zags up and down steep ridges and is punctuated with imposing watchtowers, making the Great Wall of China one of the most photogenic man-made structures on earth

Today, the Great Wall is the travel icon of China.- and one of the leading vacation travel destinations in the world

Why the Great Wall of China was built

Among the many reasons: 0

To serve as lookout postsThe ancient Chinese had rational fears about being invaded by nomad armies from the north

To provide the army with a swift early warning system - Fire signals (nighttime) and smoke signals (daytime) were relayed from one Great Wall watchtower to another. Messages could be rapidly sent over great distances

To create an elevated military roadway through the rugged terrain - This helped speed the deployment of soldiers from one area to another along the Great Wall of China

To impede invaders - This worked against feeble armies. However, the Great Wall of China would serve more as a psychological than a physical barrier against a determined, well-manned military force. A formidable invader could easily breach a lightly guarded part of the wall. Or, it could muscle its way through one of the gaps between the individual wall sections

Debunking a Great Wall myth

It is popularly written that the Great Wall of China is so long that you could see it with the unaided eye from an orbiting spacecraft (and some say from the moon) That would be impossible. Despite the Great Wall's extraordinary length, it's too narrow to be seen from an orbiting spacecraft without a telescope or super binoculars. Spotting the Great Wall from that height is analogous to being able to see a stretched-out mile-long thread on the ground while standing on top of a ten-story building

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