Shortlisted
The Great Wall of China
Petrus Fong, Gro
he Great Wall of China is one of the greatest wonders of the world. It was built more than 2,000 years
ago and it plays a very important role in Chinese history. It is the symbol of the spirit of the Chinese
nation and the wisdom and tenacity of Chinese ancestors. Because of its valuable contribution to the
military, culture, architecture, technology and art in ancient China, it was listed by the UNESCO as a
world cultural heritage site in 1987.
up 2: Non-Fiction, Kingston International School
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The historical background of the Great Wall
During Chunqiu Period and the Warring States Period, the states of Chu, Qin, Qi, Wei, Han, Yan, Zhao
constructed walls around their borders for self-defence purpose. After Qin Shi Huang united the whole kingdom,
he joined the defence sections of Qin, Yan and Zhao. Later, Emperor Qin added more new sections so the wall
became longer and bigger and it was called Great Wall. The wall continued to extend and reinforce during Han,
Sui, and Northern Dynasties. The Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties did nothing to the wall. During Ming dynasty,
they improved their building skill by using bricks and stones to construct a stronger and more elaborate wall.
The wall grew the length of 5,660 kilometres. Over 25,000 watchtowers were constructed on the wall. They
built the Liaodong Wall (the agriculture heartland) in order to protect the incursions of Mongol raiders. Towards
the end of the Ming Dynasty, Wu Sangui opened the gates of Shanhaiguan Pass (the main pass to prevent
Manchus from entering the Chinese heartland) and let the Manchus cross the Great Wall. They seized Beijing
and established the Qing Dynasty. The Qing emperors stopped repairing and constructing the Great Wall since
all barbarians were under their control.
The wriggling dragon
Building from 3
rd
century BC to 17
th
century AD, the Great Wall of China is more than 20,000 kilometres
long. It is also called Long Wall of Ten Thousand Li. It extends from Shanhaiguan in the east to Jiayuguan in
the west by the way of Hebei, Beijing, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Gansu. It looks like a
gigantic dragon wriggling its way across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus. Its main body consists of
walls, watchtowers, fortresses, passes and horse tracks. It is made of tampered earth, brick, stone, wood and
other materials. It is the perfect masterpiece that can be seen from the moon.
The purposes of the Great Wall
The main purpose of Great Wall in ancient times was to protect the invasions of the barbarians from the
north. Besides the military purpose, the Great Wall used as borders’ immigration and emigration control,
encouragement in trade, imposing import and export goods tax along the Silk Road and the transportation
corridor of the Silk Road. Nowadays, however, barbarians have changed. The purpose of the Great Wall has
changed too. Because of its architectural grandeur and historical significance, it attracts several millions of
tourists and adventurous explorers all over the world to visit every year. No wonder the people like saying, “One
who fails to reach the Great Wall would not be regarded as a hero.” The most popular tourist areas are the
sections in Beijing like North Pass of Juyonguan (Badaling), West Pass of Jiayuguan, Pass of Shanhaiguan
(Number One Pass Under Heaven), and South East of Jinshanling (Mutianyu Great Wall).
The cultural influence
Great Wall plays a significant role for Chinese culture and it preserves foreign barbarians’ customs. The
most famous legend is about Meng Jiangnu. 800 miles of the walls collapsed as Meng Jiangnu cried grievously
for her husband who died while building the wall. Today we can still read the books or watch traditional operas
about the legend. Other references like Tch’en Lin’s Chinese literature, “Soldier’s Ballad” (c. 2,000AD) and Tu
Fu’ poems (712-770) also reflected the political and social culture at that time. There were many popular Great
Wall stories in Ming Period like Yuan Chonghuan, Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui.
Because the emperors forced the people to build the wall, many people migrated to the north. Although the
south and north people have many conflicts, their agricultural and nomadic civilizations gradually integrated.
Starting from Han Period, the contact between the westerners and Chinese increased through the trade from the
