10 Interesting Facts About the Great Wall of China: How much do you know about the Great Wall of China? The oldest civilization in the world holds fascinating secrets.
10 Interesting Facts About the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall is one of the most impressive and important architectural works in the world, but you may not know much about it. Today we will present some interesting facts about this incredible construction.
10. It Took More Than 2,000 Years to Complete
The construction of the Chinese Wall took more than 2,000 years. It began to be built in the 8th century BC. EC, and officially ended in 1644.
9. The Wall Was Not Always the Great Wall of China
The work has been known as the Great Wall of China only since the late nineteenth century. Previously it was named simply “wall,” “barrier,” or “strong.”
8. Europeans Did Not Know It Until the 17th Century
The Chinese government jealously guarded its borders, and only in 1605 did they allow the passage to the Jesuit explorer Bento de Gois. The Portuguese then became the first European to set foot on the great Wall.
7. Is the Great Wall of China Built With Human Bones?
This is probably one of the most widespread myths about the construction of the Wall. It is definitely false. The materials used were the stones, granites, and bricks available, depending on each season.
6. It Was Considered a Symbol of Totalitarianism
In the 70s, the Wall was seen as a symbol of the despotism of the millenarian Chinese dynasties. The communist government encouraged people to use bricks from the most crumbling sections of the Wall to build their own houses.
5. It Was the Construction that Employed the Most Workers in History
It is estimated that in total, approximately 800,000 people worked in the construction of the entire Wall.
4. It Was the Scene of War
The construction was the scene of a great number of wars between Chinese civilization and other States. The last battle disputed in the Wall was in 1938, during the second Sino-Japanese war.
3. The Highest Point of the Chinese Wall
The Wall’s highest point is in the Heita mountain, at about 1500 meters above sea level.
2. World Heritage
In 1987 UNESCO declared the Great Wall of China a World Heritage Site.
1. 8 Million Tourists visited it in 1 Day Only
La Muralla is the most visited tourist site in the world. Every year it is visited by millions of tourists. On October 1, 2014, the monument was visited by an incredible 8 million people during a national holiday. Only in one day!
Amazing, right? How much did you know about the Chinese Wall? The enormous construction of more than 21,000 kilometers was more than double what was originally believed. It goes from the border with Korea, on the edge of the Yalu River, to the Gobi Desert.