Remembering a Visit to The Great Wall of China
When I got an opportunity to visit China and Beijing was included in it, my desire of many years of seeing the Great Wall of China could materialize. I asked my hosts to arrange a visit to it from Beijing. Accordingly on a Sunday we drove from our hotel in Beijing to see the great wall. The journey took slightly more than two hours one way.
Finally I was in front of a portion of the Wall which to me at first sight looked like a long two storied building. Some things were remarkable. There was neatness all round. There were no beggars. There were no persons posing as guides to harass the visitors. There were perhaps two or three shops selling Wall photos, souvenirs. trinkets, camera accessories and other items which tourists in such spots usually buy. Also what I found interesting was there were a couple of double humped camels which I saw for the first time and tourists could pay to ride them for short distances. The place was full of tourists from China and abroad with the former in large numbers.
We purchased the ticket and climbed steps which took us to the top of the Wall. The view from there was fantastic. For miles one could see only empty stretch of lush green grass covered mountain lands but not flat as it rose and fell in form of small hills and valleys. The Wall was in fact not a wall but it was a fortress having a width of say between 12 to 15 feet and rising to a height of around 20 to 25 feet from the ground and extended on both directions in an endless manner. At regular intervals there are rest rooms, watch towers and living quarters etc. As the Wall is on sloping landscape it rise and falls and therefore there are steps in some portions. The Wall looks solid and gives a unique feeling regarding its construction and sheer length running into thousands of kilometers.
A literature survey tells us that the Great Wall is a series of fortifications made mainly from stone, brick, earth, wood and other materials. It runs from east to west along northern part of China. Its main purpose seems to have been as a wall of defense against military and non-military intrusions by nomadic or war minded peoples into China.
It is fascinating to learn that its construction started in 7th century BC. Different kings built the wall like fortress to defend their borders. However the ruler Quin Shi Huang conquered all other opposing kingdoms in 221 BC to form China and also established the Quin dynasty. He ordered the construction of building of a new wall connecting with the existing fortresses to prevent intrusions from the North. Subsequent rulers built, repaired or expanded the Wall as per their priorities. This continued through different dynasties of rulers till the 14th century.
It was the during the rule of the Ming dynasty beginning in 14th century that the building of the Wall was again revived in a big way as a means of defense especially against the raids by North based Mongols and Manchurian tribes. The earlier walls were built at many places by using locally available stones and rammed earth as transporting other and better materials was very difficult. However the Ming kings employed stronger materials like lime, tiles, bricks and stones instead of rammed earth. It is estimated that around 25,000 watch towers were built along the length of the Wall. In the early part of the seventeenth century the Ming dynasty was replaced by the Qing dynasty and they established their rule over all of China as we know it today. They did not add to the wall as they annexed Mongolia and neutralized this threat.
As stated earlier the main purpose of building the Wall was to stop the intrusions from the hostile people beyond its northern boundaries. It had a military purpose.Communication between the various army units along the wall was very important. There are high rise signal towers located on the wall or by its side for better visibility.
Standing and looking around as well as walking along the wall is a humbling experience. To know that it has been built from before BC till the seventeenth century AD is speaks volumes of human ingenuity and continuity of purpose. That the Great wall has a length of 21,196 kms is itself an astounding feat of human endeavor. Its conceptualization in the 7th century BC and additions by generations till the 17th century AD is remarkable. For 24 centuries it existed and got constructed and maintained. It deserved to be declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
However it is sad to note that only select portions of the Wall are now well maintained especially near Beijing for tourism purposes. The other portions of the Wall have either disappeared or are in the process of disappearing due to erosion, extreme weather conditions, or making way for new construction etc purposes.
There is belief that it can be seen from space and even as far from the Moon, but astronauts have denied this.
However I consider myself lucky that I got an chance to not only see i,t but also walk on it and spend some time absorbing the magnitude of its size attained through 2400 years. It is truly known as the Great Wall of China.
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