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Line 1: − + − This was unsuccessful as the Mongols simply bribed the guards.<ref>Hucker, Charles O. ''China's Imperial Past: An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture.'' Stanford UP, 1997.</ref> It is 4,000 miles long and more than 20 feet tall. + − Work started in 220 BC under [[Qin Shi Huang]], connecting older walls which were constructed by individual states. Most of the work was done in the [[Ming dynasty]]. <ref>Susan Wise Bauer, ''The History of the Ancient World''</ref>Towers were built; originally as watchtowers, but later [[cannon]]s<ref>http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=27&catid=2&subcatid=1</ref> were added.+ + + + + + + +
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[[Image:Great_wall.jpg|right|thumb|The Great Wall Of China. Image by [http://philip.greenspun.com/ Philip Greenspun]]]
[[Image:Great_wall.jpg|right|thumb|The Great Wall Of China. Image by [http://philip.greenspun.com/ Philip Greenspun]]]
The '''Great Wall of China''' is any of several extended frontier fortifications in northern China. These were constructed in ancient times as barriers against invading armies. The original wall was built in 220–206 BC by [[Qin Shi Huang]], the emperor who unified China. In modern times, this wall is no longer recognizable from the the ground, but it has been mapped using satellite photography. The modern form of the Great Wall was built during the [[Ming dynasty]]
The '''Great Wall of China''' is any of several extended frontier fortifications in northern China. These were constructed in ancient times as barriers against invading armies. The original wall was built in 220–206 BC by [[Qin Shi Huang]], the emperor who unified China. In modern times, this wall is no longer recognizable from the the ground, but it has been mapped using satellite photography. The modern form of the Great Wall was built during the [[Ming dynasty]] (1368 - 1644). The claim that the wall can be seen from space is an urban legend.
The Great Wall winds some 2,400 km (1,500 mi) along the edge of the Mongolian plateau from Gansu Province in the west to the Yellow Sea in the east. Its width ranges from 4 to 12 m (12 to 40 ft) and its height from 6 to 15 m (20 to 50 ft). It makes possible much more effective military defense of China from invaders. It is 4,000 miles long and more than 20 feet tall.
The Mongols got passed the wall simply by bribing the guards.<ref>Hucker, Charles O. ''China's Imperial Past: An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture.'' Stanford UP, 1997.</ref> In 1644, the Ming were overthrown by peasant rebels and a Ming general opened the Great Wall to the Manchu, who conquered China and founded the [[Qing dynasty]].
Work started in 220 BC under [[Qin Shi Huang]], connecting older walls which were constructed by individual states. Unlike the wall we see today, it was originally an earthen and wooden rampart structure, and had earlier precedents, walls built by the various states of the Warring States period to keep out nomads in the north. There was a huge human cost involved; it is believed over a million people died in the construction.
In traditional history, Qin Shi Huang is depicted as a ruthless tyrant who let thousand die building the wall, including the husband of Lady Meng. Lady Meng traveled to the wall to weep for her husband. The gods finally took pity on her and the wall cracked open. This allowed her to retrieve the body and give her husband proper burial. In the People's Republic, the traditional view is reversed and Qin Shi Huang is portrayed as a hero who united China. Communist leader [[Mao Zedong]] liked to compare himself to Qin Shi Huang, so those who opposed Mao could use the story of Lady Meng to criticize him indirectly.
The Great Wall that tourists visit today is a different structure that was built during the Ming dynasty, far to the south of Qin Shi Huang's wall.<ref>Susan Wise Bauer, ''The History of the Ancient World''</ref> Towers were built; originally as watchtowers, but later [[cannon]]s<ref>http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=27&catid=2&subcatid=1</ref> were added.
==Visibility from space==
The Great Wall is not the only [[human|man-made]] structure visible from space, or the [[moon]]. This claim was popularized by a May 1932 ''Ripley's Believe it or not'' cartoon which stated that the wall is "the mightiest work of man, the only one that would be visible to the human eye from the moon." The claim also appears in Richard Halliburton's ''Second Book of Marvels'' (1938).<ref name=Hvistendahl>Hvistendahl, Mara, [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=is-chinas-great-wall-visible-from-space Is China's Great Wall Visible from Space? Though it stretches for some 4,500 miles, the ancient Chinese fortification is not as visible from orbit as modern desert roads]", ''Scientific American'', February 21, 2008.</ref>
The Great Wall is not the only [[human|man-made]] structure visible from space, or the [[moon]]. This claim was popularized by a May 1932 ''Ripley's Believe it or not'' cartoon which stated that the wall is "the mightiest work of man, the only one that would be visible to the human eye from the moon." The claim also appears in Richard Halliburton's ''Second Book of Marvels'' (1938).<ref name=Hvistendahl>Hvistendahl, Mara, [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=is-chinas-great-wall-visible-from-space Is China's Great Wall Visible from Space? Though it stretches for some 4,500 miles, the ancient Chinese fortification is not as visible from orbit as modern desert roads]", ''Scientific American'', February 21, 2008.</ref>