There are hardly any people who don’t know about the Great Wall of China. After all it is a defense wall built by the Chinese Emperor to defend his country form attacks from the Japanese and the Mongolians. The Great Wall of China runs across 2,400 kilometers and it was built way back in 214 B.C. You can take a walk on the wall and marvel at its grandeur. Even though it was built thousands of years ago it still stands strong. However at certain places that experience storms, the Great Wall has either cracked or collapsed in parts. After all, it is difficult t maintain the wall in the remote regions through which it runs in places.
In those times, China suffered heavy damage of property and lives as the Mongols led by the Great Genghis Khan plundered the city of Beijing ruthlessly robbing property and even raping the Chinese women. The Chinese deiced to then build a wall that signifies the border of the country and then the soldiers would also get an upper edge as they could see the enemy at a distance and prepare for an attack. There are watch towers every 100 meters and the guards used to stand on these towers to keep a watch on any impending attacks.
The Great Wall was not easy to build. Hundreds of lives and plenty of money were spent in its construction. In the end it was also embroiled in controversy as its constructor was accused of laundering unnecessary money for making the wall. Hence the wall lay unfinished in the end. The ancient Chinese people were employed for constructing the wall. There were protests from the workers that they had to stay away form their loved ones for long periods of time during the wall’s construction. Hence the engineers decided to let the families relocate to temporary settlements besides the wall so that the workers could live together with their families.
Today the Great Wall is not used for defense. It has now become a major tourist destination in China and is also regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. From the wall you can marvel at the scenery of the mountain ranges. The Wall runs through all the major parts of the China. Since its inception the Wall continues to be the pride of the Chinese people and is said to be their most prized possession. If you are lucky you can also see some wildlife in the mountainous stretches along the Wall. Though we marvel at the Wall’s beauty we should not forget the importance of the efforts and sacrifices of the workers who laid their lives down to protect China from its enemies. After the construction of the wall the Chinese people were able to ward of any enemies who wanted to get inside the country and loot people.
