ttps:////»https://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd»>
For 1900 years, the Chinese built walls to protect themselves from invasions by northern peoples. The first barriers appeared before the unification of the empire, in 221 BC By transforming seven kingdoms into one country, Emperor Qin Shihuangdi (259-210 BC) began to unify the wall, expanded in the following dynasties. The Great Wall reached its peak in the 15th century during the Ming Dynasty. In April 2009, the Chinese government announced that the wall is 8,850 kilometers long, a value calculated with the help of GPS. It is speculated that millions of soldiers lived in the fortification. From 1664, when the Manchus expanded the territory of China in a northerly direction, the work lost its usefulness. In 1677, an order from the Kangxi Emperor (1654-1722) ended the long saga of building and renovating the most incredible military structure in the world.
MADE IN CHINA
Made of mud bricks, the wall served as a warehouse and military shelter.
WORK AND DEATH
The Great Wall was built by thousands of peasants who, in exchange for work, were freed from paying taxes. There are records that say that, because of bad food and cold, up to 80% of workers died working
RESISTANT BRICKS
In addition to extending the barrier, the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) created strong bricks, made from clay heated to 1,150°C. Leaving the ovens, which were up to 80 kilometers from the wall, they were taken in wagons. The mortar was made with clay and rice flour.
WAREHOUSE AND SHELTER
The towers served as a supply warehouse, shelter for up to 50 soldiers and a base for observing enemy movements. The distance between them varied, but followed a criterion: each tower had to visualize the signals emitted by the neighboring one.
MANURE SMOKE
Communication between the towers was done with black smoke signals. At the height of the wall, the most used fuel was dung mixed with straw. In the absence of this material, the soldiers improvised with little black or white flags.
MILITARY CATWALKS
The towers were linked by walkways 6 meters wide, large enough to allow the rapid movement of troops in case of enemy attacks. Defense against invaders was also carried out from this privileged location.
VICTORIES AND DEFEATS
The Great Wall has been put to the test many times. In 1211, Genghis Khan (1162-1227) defeated the Chinese who were defending the area east of the building. But it saved China in 1482 when the Mongols were trapped against the fortifications.