One
of the “Seven Wonders of The World”,
the Great Wall of China is possibly the
largest single fortification (or series
of fortifications) ever built. It remains
one of the few human endeavours that can
be seen from outer space. Due to the fact
that so many people died making the wall
(either because they were attacked or
died in construction accidents) it is
also known as the “longest cemetery
on earth”.
The Great Wall of China stretches over
a formidable 6,700 km. If one were to
drive its length at a speed of 100 km
per hour (roughly 55 miles per hour) it
would take you over two and a half days
to go from one end to the other (without
bathroom breaks or meals). People would
use smoke towers to relay messages along
the wall’s great length, with one
tower stating a fire, causing fires to
be lit down the chain until someone did
something about the signal.
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on BUY to purchase the posters, or ENLARGE it to help you make
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The
Wall was created to keep out a nomadic
people called Mongols, who rode and fought
from the backs of horses. The Mongols
were a fierce enemy and were feared all
over Asia and Europe. Those who constructed
the Great Wall’s various parts thought
that while it wouldn’t stop the
Mongols it would slow them down, as horses
can’t climb over walls. It took
several generations of rulers several
tries to get the wall built, and in the
end it didn’t work very well because
the Mongols got across anyway and ended
up ruling China for many generations.
It was General George Patton that claimed
“fixed fortifications are a testament
to the stupidity of man”, and while
no one can doubt that those who built
the Great Wall of China were crafty builders
in the end they could have saved their
strength. Like the Maginot Line in France,
after the enemies were over the wall the
entire immense project became utterly
useless.
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