The Great Wall of China (traditional Chinese: 萬里長城; simplified Chinese: 万里长城; pinyin: Wànlǐ Chángchéng, meaning "ten thousand li long wall") is a series of walls and barriers built in China. These structures were constructed along the northern borders of ancient Chinese states and the empire to protect against groups of people who lived on the grasslands of Eurasia. The earliest walls were built in the 7th century BC and later connected during the Qin dynasty. Over time, different dynasties added to the wall system. The most famous parts were built during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

To help with defense, the Great Wall included watchtowers, places where soldiers lived, stations for troops, and systems to send signals using smoke or fire. It also served as a path for moving people and goods. Other uses of the wall included controlling movement across borders, managing the flow of people entering and leaving, and collecting taxes on goods carried along the Silk Road. It also helped control trade.

The walls and barriers that make up the Great Wall stretch from Liaodong in the east to Lop Lake in the west, and from the current border between China and Russia in the north to the Tao River in the south. This path roughly marks the edge of the Mongolian grasslands and covers a total distance of 21,196.18 km (13,170.70 mi). The Great Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was chosen as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007. Today, the wall is seen as one of the most amazing building achievements in history.

Names

The Great Wall of China has had many names in both Chinese and English throughout history.

In ancient Chinese records, the wall was called "Long Wall" (Chángchéng). This name first appeared in the writings of Sima Qian, who described both the separate walls built by different states and the larger wall built by the First Emperor. The character 城 (chéng), meaning "city" or "fortress," combines the "earth" radical (土) and the phonetic part 成 (chéng). In Old Chinese, 成 was pronounced *deŋ. Originally, 城 referred to the walls surrounding cities, but today it is more commonly used to mean "city."

A longer name, "Ten-Thousand Mile Long Wall" (Wànlǐ Chángchéng), came from Sima Qian's writings. He did not use this name directly, but later sources, like the AD 493 Book of Song, mentioned a "long wall of 10,000 miles." The traditional Chinese mile (里, lǐ) was not a fixed distance but roughly one-third of an English mile (540 meters). The word "ten-thousand" (wàn) in this name does not mean an exact number but instead means "innumerable" or "immeasurable," similar to the Greek and English words "myriad."

After the Qin dynasty, Chinese rulers avoided calling their additions to the wall "Long Wall" because of its association with the First Emperor's harsh rule. Instead, medieval records used terms like "frontier" (Sài), "rampart" (Yuán), "barrier" (Zhàng), "outer fortresses" (Wàibǎo), and "border wall" (Biānqiáng). Poetic names included "Purple Frontier" (Zǐsài) and "Earth Dragon" (Tǔlóng). It was not until the Qing dynasty that "Long Wall" became the general term for all border walls, regardless of where or when they were built.

The English name "Great Wall of China" came from descriptions by early European travelers who called it "the Chinese wall." By the 19th century, "the Great Wall of China" became the standard name in English and French. Other European languages, like German, still use "the Chinese wall."

Some parts of the wall in the southern Gobi Desert and Mongolian steppe are called "Wall of Genghis Khan," even though Genghis Khan did not build any walls or permanent defense lines.

History

By the time of the Spring and Autumn period (8th to 5th centuries BC), the Chinese already knew how to build walls. During this time and the later Warring States period, many states, including Zheng, Chu, Qin, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Lu, Han, Yan, Zhongshan, and Zhou, built long walls to protect their borders. These walls were made mostly of stone or packed earth between wooden frames. They were designed to stop attacks from weapons like swords and spears.

In 221 BC, the state of Qin won control of China. Its leader, the First Emperor, wanted to unite the country and stop old feudal lords from returning. He ordered the destruction of walls that had divided the land. However, to protect against the Xiongnu people from the north, he also ordered the construction of new walls to connect existing fortifications along the northern border. The idea was to build walls that could be moved or changed as needed, rather than permanent borders.

Building the walls was difficult because of the large amount of materials needed. Workers used local resources to save time and effort. Stone was used in mountain areas, while packed earth was used in flat regions. Most of the Qin walls have eroded over time, and few remain today. Later dynasties, including the Han, Northern dynasties, and Sui, repaired or expanded parts of the Great Wall to defend against northern enemies. The Tang and Song dynasties did not make major changes. Non-Han dynasties, such as the Northern Wei, Liao, Jin, and Western Xia, also built walls further north, near present-day Mongolia.

The Ming dynasty made major improvements to the Great Wall after losing a battle to the Oirats in 1449. This defeat came after long conflicts with Mongol tribes. The Ming built stronger walls using bricks and stone instead of packed earth. Up to 25,000 watchtowers were added along the wall. Sections near Beijing were especially strong. General Qi Jiguang oversaw the construction of 1,200 watchtowers between 1567 and 1570, replacing parts of the earth wall with bricks.

In the mid-15th century, the Ming built the "Liaodong Wall" to protect the farming area of Liaodong province from attacks by Jurchen-Mongol and Jianzhou Jurchen groups. This wall was mostly made of earth with ditches on both sides, though stones and tiles were sometimes used.

At the end of the Ming dynasty, the Great Wall helped defend against Manchu invasions starting around 1600. Even after losing Liaodong, the Ming held the heavily fortified Shanhai Pass, preventing the Manchus from taking control of central China. In 1644, the Manchus crossed the Great Wall after Beijing had already fallen to rebels. A Ming general, Wu Sangui, opened the gates at Shanhai Pass to the Manchus, hoping to use them to fight rebels. Instead, the Manchus captured Beijing and later defeated the Ming and rebels, starting the Qing dynasty.

Under the Qing dynasty, China’s borders expanded beyond the Great Wall, so construction for defense stopped. However, projects like the Willow Palisade were built to stop Han Chinese from moving into Manchuria.

European travelers like Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, William of Rubruck, Marco Polo, and others who visited China in the 13th and 14th centuries did not mention the Great Wall. The North African traveler Ibn Battuta, who visited China during the Yuan dynasty around 1346, heard about the wall but could not find anyone who had seen it. He compared it to a legend in the Qur’an about a wall built by Dhul-Qarnayn to protect people from invaders.

European accounts of the Great Wall began appearing in the early 16th century, even though Europeans did not see it for many years. One of the earliest descriptions was by João de Barros in 1563. Other early accounts included those by Gaspar da Cruz, Bento de Goes, Matteo Ricci, and Bishop Juan González de Mendoza. In 1605, the Portuguese Jesuit Bento de Góis became the first known European to enter China through the Great Wall at Jiayu Pass.

After China opened to foreign trade following the Opium Wars, the Great Wall became a popular tourist attraction. Travelers in the 19th century helped spread stories and myths about the wall, including the false belief that the Ming walls were the same as those built by the First Emperor in the 3rd century BC.

Course

A clear definition of what makes a "Great Wall" has not been decided, which makes it hard to describe the full path of the Great Wall completely. The defensive system includes many parts, such as walls, trenches, ditches, and separate forts.

In 2012, after reviewing research and a detailed survey, China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration found that the remaining Great Wall sites include 10,051 wall sections, 1,764 ramparts or trenches, 29,510 separate buildings, and 2,211 forts or passes. The walls and trenches together measure 21,196.18 km (13,170.70 mi). It was also found that the Ming Great Wall is 8,850 km (5,500 mi) long. This includes 6,259 km (3,889 mi) of walls, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches, and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural barriers like hills and rivers. Earlier parts of the Great Wall, built by the Qin, Han, and other dynasties, total 3,080 km (1,914 mi). The Jin dynasty (1115–1234) built 4,010 km (2,492 mi) of border forts. The rest of the wall dates back to other dynasties, including Northern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, the Five Dynasties, Song, Liao, and Xixia. About half of the sites are in Inner Mongolia and Hebei (31% and 19%, respectively).

Han dynasty fortifications begin at Yumen Pass and Yang Pass, southwest of Dunhuang in Gansu province. The farthest Han border posts are found near Yumen Pass at Mamitu, a place named "horses losing their way" in Chinese.

Jiayu Pass, in Gansu, is the western end of the Ming Great Wall. From there, the wall continues in parts through the Hexi Corridor and into Ningxia’s deserts, reaching the western edge of the Yellow River loop at Yinchuan. Here, the first major Ming walls cross the Ordos Desert to the eastern edge of the Yellow River loop. At Piantou Pass in Shanxi, the Great Wall splits into two paths: the "Outer Great Wall," which follows the Inner Mongolia border into Hebei, and the "Inner Great Wall," which runs southeast for about 400 km (250 mi) through important passes like Pingxing Pass and Yanmen Pass before joining the Outer Great Wall near Sihaiye in Beijing’s Yanqing County.

Parts of the Great Wall near Beijing were often repaired and are now visited by many tourists. The Badaling section, near Zhangjiakou, is the most famous part of the wall because it was the first opened to the public in the People’s Republic of China. Foreign leaders often visited this section. In 2018, Badaling had nearly 10 million visitors, and in 2019, a daily limit of 65,000 visitors was set. South of Badaling is Juyong Pass, which was heavily guarded to protect Beijing. This part of the wall is made of stone and bricks from nearby hills and is 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in) high and 5 m (16 ft 5 in) wide.

A notable section of the Ming Great Wall is Jinshanling, where it climbs very steep slopes. This part is 11 km (7 mi) long, ranges from 5 to 8 m (16 ft 5 in to 26 ft 3 in) in height, and is 6 m (19 ft 8 in) wide at the bottom, narrowing to 5 m (16 ft 5 in) at the top. Wangjing Lou, one of Jinshanling’s 67 watchtowers, is 980 m (3,220 ft) above sea level. Southeast of Jinshanling is Mutianyu, a section of the wall that winds through high, rocky mountains for 2.25 km (1.40 mi). It connects to Juyongguan Pass to the west and Gubeikou to the east. This section was among the first restored after the Cultural Revolution.

At the edge of the Bohai Gulf is Shanhai Pass, traditionally considered the end of the Great Wall and called the "First Pass Under Heaven." The part of the wall inside Shanhai Pass that meets the sea is named the "Old Dragon Head." Three kilometers (2 miles) north of Shanhai Pass is Jiaoshan Great Wall, the site of the first mountain section of the wall. Fifteen kilometers (9 miles) northeast of Shanhaiguan is Jiumenkou, the only part of the wall built as a bridge.

In 2009, 180 km of previously unknown Ming Great Wall sections hidden by hills, trenches, and rivers were discovered using infrared range finders and GPS devices. In March and April 2015, nine sections totaling more than 10 km (6 mi), believed to be part of the Great Wall, were found along the border of Ningxia and Gansu provinces.

Characteristics

Before bricks were used, the Great Wall was mostly built using rammed earth, stones, and wood. During the Ming Dynasty, however, bricks were used widely in many parts of the wall, along with materials like tiles, lime, and stone. Bricks were easier to handle than earth and stone because of their size and weight, which helped speed up construction. Bricks also could support more weight and last longer than rammed earth. While stone can hold its own weight better than brick, it is harder to shape and use. Because of this, stones cut into rectangular shapes were used for the wall's foundation, inner and outer edges, and gateways. Battlements, which are the top parts of the wall, have defensive gaps that are about 30 cm (12 inches) tall and 23 cm (9.1 inches) wide. Guards on the parapets could look out over the surrounding land.

A type of mortar made from sticky rice soup mixed with slaked lime was used to hold bricks together. This material was used a lot, and it is not true that human bones or body parts were ever used in the mortar or the wall, as some stories claim. Communication between army groups along the Great Wall was very important. This included sending messages to call for help and warn soldiers about enemy movements. Signal towers were built on hills or high places along the wall to make them visible from far away. Wooden gates could be used to trap people trying to pass through. Buildings such as barracks, stables, and armories were constructed near the inner side of the wall.

Condition

In some areas near Beijing and popular tourist spots, parts of the Great Wall have been kept in good condition and even restored. However, in many other places, the wall is in poor condition. In some areas, stones from the wall were used to build homes and roads. Some sections of the wall have been damaged by graffiti and vandalism. Inscribed bricks were also stolen and sold for up to 50 renminbi. In some cases, parts of the wall were destroyed to allow construction or mining activities.

A 2012 report by the National Cultural Heritage Administration found that 22% of the Ming Great Wall, or 1,961 km (1,219 mi), has been lost. In 2007, it was estimated that more than 60 km (37 mi) of the wall in Gansu province might disappear over the next 20 years due to damage from sandstorms. In some places, the wall’s height has decreased from more than 5 m (16 ft 5 in) to less than 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Many of the square-shaped watchtowers that are often seen in pictures of the wall have disappeared. Some western sections of the wall were built with mud instead of bricks or stones, making them more likely to erode. In 2014, a part of the wall near the border of Liaoning and Hebei provinces was repaired using concrete. This work has faced strong criticism.

In 2023, a section of the wall in Shanxi province was seriously damaged when construction workers widened an existing gap to create a shortcut for an excavator. Police stated that this action caused "irreversible damage to the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and to the safety of the cultural relics."

Visibility from space

Some claims in popular culture suggest that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space with the naked eye. However, these claims are not fully accurate.

The Great Wall cannot be seen from the Moon, which is about 384,399 kilometers (238,854 miles) away from Earth. Even though this idea is not true, it remains widely known. From the Moon, the Great Wall would appear as thin as a human hair viewed from 3 kilometers (2 miles) away.

One of the first recorded mentions of this myth was in a letter written in 1754 by William Stukeley, an English historian. He wrote that the Great Wall might be visible from the Moon. The idea was also mentioned by Henry Norman in 1895 and later appeared in a 1932 comic strip called Ripley's Believe It or Not!.

The Great Wall has also been claimed to be visible from low Earth orbit, which is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) above Earth. NASA says it is barely visible under perfect conditions and is not more noticeable than other human-made objects.

Some astronauts, such as Gene Cernan and Ed Lu, have said they saw the Great Wall from space. However, Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut, said he could not see it. The European Space Agency (ESA) once reported that the Great Wall was visible from 160 and 320 kilometers (100 and 200 miles) above Earth, but the image actually showed a river in Beijing.

In 2004, Leroy Chiao, an astronaut, took a photo of the Great Wall from the International Space Station. The image was unclear, and Chiao was unsure if it showed the wall. Later, China Daily reported that the Great Wall can be seen from space with the naked eye under perfect conditions if someone knows exactly where to look.

Gallery

• The Great Wall at Badaling
• The Great Wall during sunrise
• The Juyongguan area of the Great Wall attracts many visitors each day.
• Remains of a beacon tower near Yumenguan, 2011
• "The First Mound" – at Jiayu Pass, the western endpoint of the Ming Great Wall
• The Great Wall near Jiayu Pass, with the Qilian Mountains in the background
• Ming Great Wall remnant near Yinchuan
• The Great Wall remnant at Yulin
• Gateway of Gubeikou Fortress
• Environmental protection sign near the Great Wall, 2011
• Ming Great Wall at Simatai, overlooking a gorge
• Mutianyu Great Wall. This is on a section of the wall that has not been restored.
• The Old Dragon Head, where the Great Wall meets the sea near Shanhai Pass
• Inside a watchtower
• Inside a watchtower
• Badaling Great Wall during winter
• Great Wall in Yanqing, Beijing during winter
• Tourists at the Great Wall in Yanqing, Beijing during Spring Festival
• Tourists at the Great Wall
• A sign discouraging climbing near an unrestored section in Huaibei