Great Wall of China - The Amazing Creation!

Hello Kids! Welcome back to KidsCast! Today, we are going to get into a very interesting topic- The Great Wall of China. We are sure you have heard about this amazing creation before, and why won't you, it's one of the Seven Wonders of the world! Now, let us start! 

Introduction:

The Great Wall of China was made in 220 BC, and its main purpose was to protect China from attacks from European Nomadic Groups. It is made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials. The Great Wall is the longest wall in the world, stretching over 13,000 miles. It is built by different Chinese dynasties over the centuries. The most famous and best-preserved section of the wall is the one built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). 

The construction of the Great Wall began in the 7th century BC and continued through the Ming dynasty. It is estimated that over one million people died during the wall's construction, yes, a million people! 

The Making:

The Great Wall of China was built over a period of centuries by different Chinese dynasties. The first walls were built in the 7th century BC by the state of Qi in order to defend against raids by the neighbouring state of Chu.

Now, over time, other Chinese states and dynasties built their own walls and fortifications, which were eventually linked together to form the Great Wall we know today!

The construction of the Great Wall was done by soldiers, prisoners, and conscripted labor. The Great Wall was built in sections, with each section being constructed and maintained by a different dynasty. The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) built the most famous and best-preserved section of the Great Wall, which is the section that is most visited by tourists today.

Condition of the wall:

Now, the condition of the wall is not the same everywhere, at last, it is 13,000 miles long, how can it be in the same condition in all the areas! Near the areas of Beijing and the area of the wall where you will find tourists, is in good condition, it has even been renovated! But, in the other places, you might see graffiti on the walls, tourists crashing the place horribly...

There is 1,961 km (1,219 mi) of missing Ming Great Wall, according to a 2012 report by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Gansu province's wall could disappear in 20 years because of erosion from sandstorms. The wall has been lowered in some places from more than 5 m (16 ft 5 in) to less than 2 m (6 ft 7 in)!

Myths:

We are pretty sure, all of you have heard a lot of things about The Great Wall of China, right? Maybe from a teacher, a parent, a sibling, a friend, or literally anyone! But, how many of those things you heard are true? To know that, let's look into some of the Myths about this Great Wall. 

1. The Great Wall can be seen from space:- Oh, isn't this a popular one! We're pretty sure you guys have heard this one somewhere, but it's actually a myth! The wall cannot be seen from outer space. Back in time, some people used to believe you can see it from the Moon, isn't that silly! Forget about the moon, we cannot even see it from low earth orbit!
2. It is made out of only Earth and Stone:- There was another unusual material used to build this magnificent structure besides earth and stone, the material which is not known by a lot of people.  According to Mental Floss, sticky rice was also used in the mortar recipe, which explains why the wall is so strong!
3. The Wall Is One Long Continuous Line:- Okay, now if you think about The Great Wall of China, you might imagine one really long wall. Now, that too is a myth. It is a 'collection of walls'. It begins in the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province in the west.

In fact, all these myths are false. They are not true. Now let's look at the real facts! 

Facts:

Here are some facts about this World's amazing creation! 

1. The tallest section of the Great Wall is 14 meters (46 feet) from the ground.
2. The rulers of the Ming dynasty built most of the visible and popular sections of the Great Wall of China.
3. The Great Wall gets about 10 million domestic & international visitors each year.
4. The Great Wall ends in the sea at Shanhai pass at a point called Laolongtou, which stands for “Old Dragon Head.”
5. It is Twice as Long as the Diameter of Pluto!
6. In Chinese, it is called "Chang Cheng", which means 'long wall'.

So, that is it for today, kids! We hope you enjoyed this article and enjoyed reading about this great wonder of the world, that is, The Great Wall of China! We will soon be back with another interesting article for you guys! Till then, Happy Learning!