10 interesting facts about the Great Wall of China (11 photos)

The Great Wall of China is one of the largest architectural monuments and an important military security site in Beijing. The wall is 21,196 km long and is one of the wonders of the world, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the entire world, and a marvel of engineering. It will take 1.5 years to complete it completely. We will learn several interesting facts about the Great Wall, including those that dispel myths.





1. Workers were not buried alive in the wall.



The legend that workers who died during the construction of the Great Wall of China were buried inside it is just a legend. The large-scale construction of the wall undoubtedly required enormous amounts of manpower and resources. But there is no evidence that workers were deliberately buried alive to be “walled up” in the wall.

2. It's not a solid wall.





Contrary to popular belief and its name, the Great Wall of China is not a solid wall. It consists of a series of walls separated by fortifications and mountains. Wall sections also vary in length. For example, the length of the largest section is more than 8046 kilometers. The parts were built at different times and by different dynasties, the earliest being in the 7th century BC. Today, many sections of the Great Wall of China are open to tourists, each with its own unique history and features.

3. The wall can be seen from space



The wall can be seen from space - naturally, not with the naked eye. According to NASA, it can be seen with the help of serious optics or radar from space - and only under suitable weather conditions. The wall is especially visible on clear days and from certain viewing angles.

4. The wall was built by farmers, prisoners and soldiers



The construction of the Great Wall of China took place under the leadership of a general, the ancient Chinese commander Meng Tian. To build the structure, he gathered an entire army of prisoners, local farmers and soldiers. Those who were good at engineering planned the progress of construction. Farmers often spent time clearing land, digging trenches, and building foundations. The criminals worked long hours in difficult conditions, thus serving their sentences.

5. The wall was built using rice



The wall was built using a variety of materials, including brick, rammed earth and stone. The most interesting thing is what was used as a binding solution. It was a sticky rice mass that then replaced modern cement. The use of rice mixture as a building material dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Glutinous rice was mixed with slaked lime, sand and water to create a strong and durable material. By combining amylopectin from rice and calcium carbonate from lime, a substance was obtained that had high mechanical strength and was resistant even during natural disasters. This may be why some parts of the Great Wall of China that were built using rice mortar are still standing strong even hundreds of years later.

6. The wall is on the UNESCO World Heritage List



The Great Wall of China is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is of high cultural significance. Although it was originally built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from raids by nomads, it is more than just a military fortification. The wall is also considered a symbol of Chinese culture and identity and a global treasure. She was often mentioned in literature, art and folklore, in the poems of Chinese poets and texts of writers. It’s not for nothing that it was recognized as one of the new seven wonders of the world.

7. The wall slowly disappears



According to experts, 30% of the Ming Dynasty structures on the wall have already disappeared. Without restoration they simply fell apart. A 2014 report showed that only less than 10% of the monument is in good condition - the rest continues to be restored and preserved in various ways. The wall is also destroyed by natural elements, but mostly by people. Sections of the wall located in rural areas were sometimes destroyed for land development or to obtain building materials.

8. There are strict visiting rules on the wall.



About 10 million people visit the wall every year. To combat its slow destruction, experts have introduced several strict rules. It is illegal to take stones, bricks and other materials from the Great Wall of China. It is also forbidden to change anything in the structure: break off bricks or carve your initials on the wall, even if the temptation is great. The Chinese government has also placed restrictions on the number of people who can visit certain sections of the wall. Another ban affected the construction of buildings in surrounding areas to prevent any damage to the monument.

9. Rare animals live near the wall



About 1,000 species of plants and more than 300 species of animals live in the area of ​​the wall and its surrounding areas. Many of them are rare or endangered. These include the golden takin (antelope), Chinese goral (even-toed ungulate mammal), black-necked crane and snow leopard. One of the most popular inhabitants is the giant panda, of which there are only 1,800 left in the wild. The Chinese giant salamander also lives here - the largest modern amphibian, growing up to 1.2 m in length.

10. There are many tunnels in the wall



The wall contains caves and tunnels that were once used for military purposes - and not only. Some were used to store weapons, others to transport supplies, or as secret passages during surprise attacks. Some caves were used as temples or shrines, and many people believed that these caves were spiritual gateways between the earthly world and the spirits of their ancestors. Today, several caves are open and accessible to visit.