Tony Tuesday: Article

 The Great Wall of China

Information sourced from Kiddle, Science Kids and KidzFeed.

Quick Facts

This ancient wall in China made up of cement, rocks, bricks, and powdered dirt was finally finished in 1878. Many walls have been built, up to nineteen different ones. The most famous wall was built between 226–200 B.C. Some people would describe the shape of the wall to be like a dragon. It is about 21,196 kilometres (13,171 miles) long, and has 7,000 watch towers.

History

One of the main reasons that the wall was built was to keep enemies out. At the time, Emperor Qin Shi Huang (first Emperor of China) had some enemies north of China, and wanted the wall to be built as a barrier to keep them out. That certain part of China had easy access points and Emperor Qin wanted to cut them off. Over time, different dynasties added to the wall, and it is said to have taken well over 2000 years to build the wall.

Wall Construction

The Great Wall of China was made up of mud, straw, broken sticks, and whatever resources were found at the time. Of course this meant that parts of the wall would break down, but throughout time cement and rocks were added to help strengthen it. Over the building time, it is said that many of the wall builders died from giant falling rocks, exhaustion, illnesses, animal attacks and starvation. The Great Wall of China was a vital part of China’s history, however the myths of past workers being buried in and under the wall was just that - a myth.

The Great Wall of China in the later centuries

The wall is recognised as the longest man-made wall in the world. It can even be seen from space. Nowadays the wall is a popular tourist attraction, and has even starred in some famous movies, such a Karate Kid (featuring Jackie Chan, Will and Jaden Smith).