Construction of the first sections of this grandiose facility began during the Warring States period in the 3rd century BC. e. The Great Wall of China was supposed to protect the subjects of the Empire from the nomadic tribes who often attacked the populated areas developing in the center of China. Another function of this grandiose object was to clearly fix the boundaries of the Chinese state and contribute to the creation of a single empire, which before these events was composed of many conquered kingdoms.

Construction of the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China was built quite quickly - within 10 years. This was largely due to the cruelty of Qin Shi Huang, who ruled at that time. Almost half a million people were involved in its construction, most of whom died at the foot of this site from hard work and exhaustion. These were mainly soldiers, slaves and landowners.

As a result of construction, the Great Wall of China stretched for 4000 km and watchtowers were installed on it every 200 meters. Two centuries later, the wall was extended to the west, as well as deep into the desert, to protect trade caravans from nomads.

Over time, this structure lost its strategic purpose and the wall was no longer maintained, which contributed to its destruction. The Great Wall of China was given a second life by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty, who were in power from 1368 to 1644. It was during their time that grandiose events began again. construction work on the restoration and expansion of the Great.

As a result, it stretched from the Liaodong Gulf to the Gobi Desert. Its length became 8852 km, including all branches. Average height in those days it reached 9 meters, and the width varied from 4 to 5 meters.

Current state of the Great Wall of China

Today, only about 8% of the Great Wall of China has retained its original appearance, which was given to it during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. Their height reaches 7-8 meters. Many sections have not been able to survive to this day, and most of the remaining wall is being destroyed due to weather conditions, acts of vandalism, the construction of various roads and other objects. Some areas are subject to active erosion due to improper management agriculture in the 50-90s of the last century.

However, since 1984, a program for the restoration of this important cultural and historical building has been launched. the highest level. After all, the Great Wall of China is still an architectural monument and a place of mass pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world.

Chinese wall this amazing structure took almost 2000 years to build and its length is 4 thousand kilometers! Such long-term construction is not bad... Traditionally it is believed that the Great Wall of China began to be built in the 3rd century BC. For protection from northern nomads. On this occasion N.A. Morozov wrote:

“One thought is that the famous Chinese Wall, from 6 to 7 meters high, and up to three thick, stretching for THREE THOUSAND KILOMETERS, began construction back in 246 BC by Emperor Chi Hoang Ti and WAS COMPLETED ONLY AFTER 1866 YEARS, BY 1620 AD, is so absurd that it can only cause annoyance to a serious historian-thinker.

After all, every large construction has a predetermined practical purpose... Who would have thought of starting a huge construction that could only be completed in 2000 years, and until then would only be a useless burden for the population...

They will tell us that the wall has been repaired for two thousand years. Doubtful. It only makes sense to repair a building that is not very old, otherwise it will become hopelessly outdated and simply fall apart. This is what we are seeing, by the way, in Europe.

Old defensive walls were dismantled and new, more powerful ones were built in their place. For example, many military fortifications in Rus' were rebuilt in the 16th century.

But we are told that the Chinese Wall, as it was built, stood for TWO THOUSAND YEARS. They don’t say that “ modern wall recently built on the site of an ancient one.”

No, they say that we see exactly the wall that was built two thousand years ago. In our opinion this is extremely strange, to say the least.

When and against whom was the wall built? We cannot answer for sure. This requires additional research. However, let us express the following thought.

The Great Wall of China was built primarily as a structure marking the BORDER between two countries: China and Russia.

It is doubtful that it was built as a military defensive structure. And it is unlikely that it has ever been used in this capacity. Defending a 4,000-kilometer wall from enemy attack is SPOILESS.

L.N. Gumilyov quite rightly wrote: “The wall stretched for 4 thousand km. Its height reached 10 meters, and watchtowers rose every 60-100 meters.

But when the work was completed, it turned out that all of China’s armed forces were not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall

In fact, if you place a small detachment on each tower, the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and send help.

If large detachments are spaced out less frequently, gaps will form through which the enemy can easily and unnoticed penetrate deep into the country. A FORTRESS WITHOUT DEFENDERS IS NOT A FORTRESS

How does our point of view differ from the traditional one? We are told that the Wall separated China from the nomads in order to secure the country from their raids. But as Gumilev correctly noted, such an explanation does not stand up to criticism.

If the nomads wanted to cross the Wall, they could easily do so. And more than once. And anywhere. We offer a completely different explanation.

We believe that the Wall was built primarily to MARK THE BORDER BETWEEN TWO STATES. And it was built when an agreement was reached on this border. Apparently in order to eliminate border disputes in the future.

And there were probably such disputes. Today, the parties to the agreement draw the border ON THE MAP (that is, on paper). And they think that this is enough.

And in the case of Russia and China, the Chinese, apparently, attached such importance to the agreement that they decided to immortalize it not only on paper, but also “on the ground,” by drawing the Wall along the agreed border.

This was more reliable and, as the Chinese thought, would eliminate border disputes for a long time. The length of the Wall itself speaks in favor of this assumption. Four, or one or two thousand kilometers is normal for the border between two states. But for a purely military structure it makes no sense. But the political border

China has changed many times over its supposedly more than two thousand-year history. This is what the historians themselves tell us. China united, then fell apart into separate regions, lost and gained some lands, etc.

On the one hand, this seems to make it difficult to verify our reconstruction. But on the other hand, on the contrary, we are given the opportunity not only to check it, but also to DATE the construction of the Wall.

If we manage to find a political-geographical map on which the BORDER OF CHINA WILL GO EXACTLY ALONG THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA, this will mean that EXACTLY AT THIS TIME THE WALL WAS BUILT.

Today the Chinese Wall is INSIDE China. Was there a time when it marked the BORDER OF THE COUNTRY? And when did this happen? It is clear that if it was being built as a BORDER WALL, then IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EXACTLY ALONG THE POLITICAL BORDER OF CHINA at that time.

This will allow us to date the construction of the Wall. Let's try to find a GEOGRAPHICAL MAP on which the Chinese Wall runs EXACTLY ALONG THE POLITICAL BORDER OF CHINA. It is important that SUCH CARDS EXIST. And there are many of them. These are maps of the 17th-18th centuries.

Let's take a map of Asia from the 18th century made by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam: . We took this map from a rare atlas of the 18th century.

On this map we find two states: Tartary - Tartarie and China - Chine. China's northern border runs approximately along the 40th parallel. THE CHINA WALL GOES EXACTLY ALONG THIS BORDER.

Moreover, on the map this Wall is MARKED as a thick line with the inscription Muraille de la Chine, that is, “the high wall of China” translated from French.

We see the same Chinese Wall, and with the same inscription on it, on another map of 1754 - Carte de l’Asie, which we took from a rare atlas of the 18th century. Here the Chinese Wall also roughly follows the border between China and Great Tartary, that is, Mongol-Tatary = Russia.

We see the same thing on another map of Asia in the 17th century, in the famous Blau atlas. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China, and only a small western section of the Wall is inside China.

Our idea is also supported by the fact that cartographers of the 18th century PLACED THE CHINA WALL ON THE POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD.

Therefore, this Wall HAD THE MEANING OF A POLITICAL BORDER. After all, cartographers did not depict other “wonders of the world” on this map, for example, the Egyptian pyramids.

And the Chinese Wall was painted. The same Wall is depicted on the color map of the Qing Empire of the second half of the 17th-18th centuries in the academic 10-volume World History

This map shows the Great Wall in detail, with all its small curves in the terrain. Almost along its entire length it runs EXACTLY ALONG THE BORDER OF THE CHINESE EMPIRE, with the exception of the small westernmost section of the Wall, no more than 200 kilometers long. Apparently

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA WAS BUILT IN THE 16th-17th CENTURIES AS A POLITICAL BORDER BETWEEN CHINA AND RUSSIA = “MONGOL-TATARIA”.

It is impossible to admit that the “ancient” Chinese had such an amazing gift of foresight that they accurately predicted exactly how the border between China and Russia would go in the 17th-18th centuries of the NEW ERA, that is, in two thousand years.

They may object to us: on the contrary, the border between Russia and China in the 17th century was drawn along the ancient Wall. However, in this case, the Wall would have to be mentioned in a written Russian-Chinese treaty. We found no such references.

When was the Wall = Border between Russia = “Mongol-Tataria” and China built? Apparently, it was in the 17th century. No wonder it is believed that its construction was “completed” only in 1620. And maybe even later. See below about this.

In this regard, we immediately remember that EXACTLY at this time there were BORDER WARS between Russia and China. Probably, only at the end of the 17th century they agreed on the border. And then they built a wall to FIX THE AGREEMENT.

Was this Wall before the 17th century? Apparently not. Scaligerian history tells us that China was conquered by the “MONGOLS” in the 13th century AD. e. More precisely, in 1279. And became part of the huge “Mongolian” = Great Empire.

According to the new chronology, the correct dating of this conquest is the end of the 14th century, that is, a hundred years later. In the Scaligerian history of China, this event was noted in the 14th century as the coming to power of the MING dynasty in 1368, that is, the SAME MONGOLS.

As we now understand, in the XIV-XVI centuries Rus' AND CHINA STILL CONSTITUTED ONE EMPIRE. Therefore, there was no need to build a Wall = Border.

Most likely, such a need arose after the unrest in Rus', the defeat of the Russian Horde dynasty and the seizure of power by the Romanovs. As you know, the Romanovs abruptly changed Russia's political course, trying to subordinate the country to Western influence.

This pro-Western orientation of the new dynasty led to the collapse of the Empire. Türkiye separated, and heavy wars began with it. China also separated. And, in fact, control over a large part of America was lost. Relations between China and the Romanovs became tense, and border conflicts began. It was necessary to build a Wall, which was done.

Apparently, it is possible to even more accurately indicate the time of construction of the Great Wall of China. As we have already said, the Wall was apparently built as a border between China and Russia during the border disputes of the 17th century. ARMED COLLISIONS flared up from the middle of the 17th century. The wars went on with varying degrees of success. Descriptions of these wars were preserved in Khabarov’s notes.

The treaty FIXING THE NORTHERN BORDER OF CHINA WITH RUSSIA was concluded in 1689 in Nerchinsk. Perhaps there were earlier attempts to conclude a Russian-Chinese treaty.

It should be expected that the Chinese Wall was built between 1650 and 1689. This expectation is justified. It is known that the Emperor = Bogdykhan Kangxi “began the implementation of his plan to oust the RUSSIANS FROM AMUR.

HAVING BUILT A CHAIN OF FORTIFICATIONS IN MANZHURIA, Bogdykhan in 1684 sent the Manzhur army to the Amur.” What kind of CHAIN OF FORTENTS did Bogdykhan build by 1684? He most likely built the Great Wall of China. That is, a CHAIN OF FORTIFIED TOWERS CONNECTED BY A WALL

The colossal defensive structures known today as the “Great Wall of China” were built by those who, thousands of years ago, possessed technologies that we have not yet developed. And these were clearly not Chinese...

In China, there is another material evidence of the presence in this country of a highly developed civilization, to which the Chinese have no relation. Unlike the Chinese pyramids, this evidence is well known to everyone. This is the so-called Great Wall of China.

Let's see what orthodox historians have to say about this largest architectural monument, which has recently become a major tourist attraction in China. The wall is located in the north of the country, stretching from the sea coast and going deep into the Mongolian steppes, and according to various estimates, its length, including branches, is from 6 to 13,000 km. The thickness of the wall is several meters (on average 5 meters), the height is 6-10 meters. It is alleged that the wall included 25 thousand towers.

Brief history The construction of the wall today looks like this. They supposedly started building the wall in the 3rd century BC during the reign of the dynasty Qin, to defend against raids by nomads from the north and clearly define the border of Chinese civilization. The construction was initiated by the famous “collector of Chinese lands” Emperor Qin Shi-Huang Di. He gathered about half a million people for construction, which, considering the total population of 20 million, is a very impressive figure. Then the wall was a structure made mainly of earth - a huge earthen rampart.

During the reign of the dynasty Han(206 BC - 220 AD) the wall was expanded to the west, strengthened with stone and a line of watchtowers was built that went deep into the desert. Under the dynasty Min(1368-1644) the wall continued to be built. As a result, it stretched from east to west from the Bohai Gulf in the Yellow Sea to the western border of the modern Gansu province, entering the Gobi Desert. It is believed that this wall was built by the efforts of a million Chinese from bricks and stone blocks, which is why these sections of the wall have been preserved to this day in the form in which a modern tourist is already accustomed to seeing it. The Ming Dynasty was replaced by the Manchu Dynasty Qing(1644-1911), which was not involved in the construction of the wall. She limited herself to maintaining in relative order a small area near Beijing, which served as the “gateway to the capital.”

In 1899, American newspapers started a rumor that the wall would soon be demolished and a highway would be built in its place. However, no one was going to demolish anything. Moreover, in 1984, a program to restore the wall was launched on the initiative of Deng Xiaoping and under the leadership of Mao Zedong, which is still being carried out today, and is financed from Chinese and foreign companies, as well as individuals. It is not reported how much Mao spent on the restoration of the wall. Several areas were repaired, and in some places they were completely rebuilt. So we can assume that in 1984 the construction of the fourth wall of China began. Usually, tourists are shown one of the sections of the wall, located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the area of Mount Badaling, the length of the wall is 50 km.

The wall makes the greatest impression not in the Beijing region, where it was built on not very high mountains, but in remote mountainous areas. There, by the way, you can clearly see that the wall, as a defensive structure, was made very thoughtfully. Firstly, five people in a row could move along the wall itself, so it was also a good road, which is extremely important when it is necessary to transport troops. Under the cover of the battlements, the guards could secretly approach the area where the enemies were planning to attack. The signal towers were located in such a way that each of them was within sight of the other two. Some important messages were transmitted either by drumming, or by smoke, or by the fire of fires. Thus, the news of an enemy invasion from the farthest borders could be transmitted to the center in a day!

During the restoration process the walls were opened interesting facts. For example, its stone blocks were held together with adhesive rice porridge with an admixture of slaked lime. Or what the loopholes on its fortresses looked towards China; that on the north side the height of the wall is small, much less than on the south, and there are stairs there. The latest facts, for obvious reasons, are not advertised and are not commented on in any way official science- neither Chinese nor world. Moreover, when reconstructing towers, they try to build loopholes in the opposite direction, although this is not possible everywhere. These photos show the south side of the wall - the sun is shining at midday.

However, this is where the strangeness comes from Chinese wall don't end. Wikipedia has full map walls where different colors shows the wall that we are told was built by every Chinese dynasty. As we see, there is more than one great wall. Northern China is often and densely dotted with the “Great Walls of China”, which extend into the territory of modern Mongolia and even Russia. Light was shed on these oddities A.A. Tyunyaev in his work “The Chinese Wall - the Great Barrier from the Chinese”:

“Tracing the stages of construction of the “Chinese” wall, based on the data of Chinese scientists, is extremely interesting. It is clear from them that the Chinese scientists who call the wall “Chinese” are not very concerned about the fact that the Chinese people themselves did not take any part in its construction: every time another section of the wall was built, the Chinese state was far from the construction sites.

So, the first and main part of the wall was built in the period from 445 BC. to 222 BC It runs along 41-42° north latitude and at the same time along some sections of the river. Yellow River. At this time, naturally, there were no Mongol-Tatars. Moreover, the first unification of peoples within China took place only in 221 BC. under the kingdom of Qin. And before that there was the Zhanguo period (5-3 centuries BC), in which eight states existed on Chinese territory. Only in the middle of the 4th century. BC The Qin began to fight against other kingdoms, and by 221 BC. conquered some of them.

The figure shows that the western and northern border of the Qin state by 221 BC. began to coincide with that section of the “Chinese” wall that began to be built in 445 BC and it was built exactly in 222 BC

Thus, we see that this section of the “Chinese” wall was built not by the Chinese of the Qin state, but northern neighbors, but precisely from the Chinese spreading to the north. In just 5 years - from 221 to 206. BC - a wall was built along the entire border of the Qin state, which stopped the spread of its subjects to the north and west. In addition, at the same time, 100-200 km west and north of the first, a second line of defense against Qin was built - the second “Chinese” wall of this period.

The next construction period covers the time from 206 BC to 220 AD During this period, sections of the wall were built, located 500 km to the west and 100 km to the north of the previous ones... During the period from 618 to 907 China was ruled by the Tang dynasty, which did not mark itself with victories over its northern neighbors.

In the next period, from 960 to 1279 The Song Empire established itself in China. At this time, China lost dominance over its vassals in the west, in the northeast (on the Korean Peninsula) and in the south - in northern Vietnam. The Song Empire lost a significant part of the territories of the Chinese proper in the north and northwest, which went to the Khitan state of Liao (part of the modern provinces of Hebei and Shanxi), the Tangut kingdom of Xi-Xia (part of the territories of the modern province of Shaanxi, the entire territory of the modern province of Gansu and Ningxia-Hui autonomous region).

In 1125, the border between the non-Chinese Jurchen kingdom and China ran along the river. Huaihe is 500-700 km south of where the wall was built. And in 1141, a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Chinese Song Empire recognized itself as a vassal of the non-Chinese state of Jin, pledging to pay it a large tribute.

However, while China itself huddled south of the river. Hunahe, 2100-2500 km north of its borders, another section of the “Chinese” wall was erected. This part of the wall built from 1066 to 1234, passes through Russian territory north of the village of Borzya next to the river. Argun. At the same time, 1500-2000 km north of China, another section of the wall was built, located along the Greater Khingan...

The next section of the wall was built between 1366 and 1644. It runs along the 40th parallel from Andong (40°), just north of Beijing (40°), through Yinchuan (39°) to Dunhuang and Anxi (40°) in the west. This section of the wall is the last, the southernmost and the deepest penetrating into the territory of China... At the time of the construction of this section of the wall, the entire Amur region belonged to Russian territories. By the middle of the 17th century, Russian fortresses (Albazinsky, Kumarsky, etc.), peasant settlements and arable lands already existed on both banks of the Amur. In 1656, the Daurian (later Albazinsky) voivodeship was formed, which included the valley of the Upper and Middle Amur on both banks... The “Chinese” wall, built by the Russians by 1644, ran exactly along the border of Russia with Qing China. In the 1650s, Qing China invaded Russian lands to a depth of 1,500 km, which was secured by the Aigun (1858) and Beijing (1860) treaties...”

Today the Chinese Wall is located inside China. However, there was a time when the wall meant country border. This fact is confirmed by what has come down to us vintage maps. For example, a map of China by the famous medieval cartographer Abraham Ortelius from his geographical atlas of the world Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1602 On the map, north is on the right. It clearly shows that China is separated from the northern country - Tartaria by a wall. On the map of 1754 "Le Carte de l'Asie" it is also clearly visible that the border of China with Great Tartaria runs along the wall. And even a map from 1880 shows the wall as China's border with its northern neighbor. It is noteworthy that part of the wall extends quite far into the territory of China’s western neighbor - Chinese Tartaria...

Average general education

Line UMK Volobueva-Ponomarev. General History (10-11) (BU)

General history

Who built the Great Wall of China?

The Great Wall of China is one of the famous walls peace. Translated from Chinese, her name means “Long Wall” (or “Long Wall of 10,000 li”, which symbolizes not a specific “kilometer”, but a “great” length). The total length of the wall is more than 21 thousand kilometers, and its height is 6-8 meters.

Who built such a majestic structure? And why?

The beginning of the great construction

It is believed that the construction of the wall began during the era of the Warring States in the 3rd century BC (475-221 BC). Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi ordered the construction protective wall, in order to save his people from the raid of the Xiongnu nomads. The wall was built by a fifth of the country’s population, which is over a million people. Among the workers were slaves, ordinary farmers, and soldiers, and the construction was led by the commander Meng Tian.

Myths and legends of the ancient Celestial Empire

The construction of significant structures always gives rise to many myths and legends. The Great Wall of China has not been spared from history either. Here are some beautiful legends about this event.

Under the sign of the Dragon

Who else but a dragon should be involved in such a grandiose construction? According to legend, it was this mythological creature that indicated the desired location of the future structure. A huge dragon walked along the Chinese border, and builders built a wall following it. Even the shape of the resulting wall is similar to a great dragon

It is curious that another name, folk, also refers to mythical creature- "earth dragon". But its origin no longer refers to Chinese legends, but to real facts. The fact is that before the reign of the Qin dynasty, the simplest materials were used in the construction of most of the Great Wall. natural materials, often simply compacting the earth. A significant part of the materials was taken right there: reeds, pebbles, clay. In shape, the structure was too reminiscent of a writhing dragon, stretching from the Yellow Sea to the Tibetan Mountains.

The China RG guide is one of the most detailed and convenient guides in the world. Accurate maps will make it easy to navigate in any province of China and major cities, and information sections will help you choose the most convenient place to stay and eat for every taste and budget, plan a trip around the country using any transport, rent a bicycle or climbing equipment, and also take a hiking trip.

Imperial word

And if it was not the dragon who indicated the direction of construction, then it could only be the emperor himself. Legend has it that the emperor rode around his domain on a white horse, considering where to lay the foundation of the future Great Wall. And in those places where his horse stumbled, watchtowers were then erected.

Official and Master

To build such a large-scale structure, real masters of their craft were required. There were many talented builders among the Chinese, but one craftsman, nicknamed “Iron Abacus,” especially stood out among the others. He was so smart and savvy in his craft that he could calculate the required volume with the accuracy of a brick. building material for future construction.

Naturally, such a loud statement could not go in vain. And so, one imperial official decided to check the Master. A condition was set: the Master indicates required quantity bricks, and construction begins. If the worker made a mistake by just one brick, then the Official himself will lay this brick for the glory of the Master. If the mistake is more significant, the employee will not lose his head.

Construction has begun. The master calculated that 99,999 brick blocks would be needed for construction. grew up brick walls, watchtowers and gate towers. And so, on one of the 25 thousand towers, near the one that stands near the famous ancient Silk Road, on a hill near the city gate of Xiwen, you can see a brick that stands out noticeably from the rest of the masonry. Apparently, this is the same brick laid by the Official in honor of the Master in gratitude for the correct account.

Faithful wife

Among other legends, there are also sad tales. Such, for example, was the story of Meng Jiang Nu’s faithful wife. Her husband, a farmer, was forced to participate in the construction of the wall. Next, the legend has several options.

In the first version, Meng learns that her husband died during construction and his body rests in the wall. Inconsolable, she sobbed so bitterly at the foot of the building that the bricks collapsed from her suffering in the place where her husband’s corpse lay. So the poor thing was able to take his remains and give him a decent burial.

More interesting materials:

Chronology of August 1914: the first month of the First World War

According to another version, the wife went to her husband with warm clothes, so that he could endure the cold at work. But before she had time, the farmer died before she arrived. The woman cried bitterly and, as usual, the wall immediately collapsed from her tears. This did not escape the eyes of the emperor - he ordered to place the widow in his palace. The woman agreed, but hid her true intentions. She buried her beloved husband with dignity, and then committed suicide by bravely throwing herself into the river. Whatever version is true, a monument was erected on the wall in memory of the faithful and loving Maine.

Unfortunately, such a sad story is certainly partly based on real events. During all the years of construction of the wall, such a huge number of people died that the Great Wall of China began to be called “the longest cemetery in the world.” At least half a million people died, and people died from hard work, terrible working conditions and epidemics. There were no good roads, and there was not enough water and provisions for workers. The entire construction route of the Chinese wall was literally covered with the remains of dead people.

The traditions of Chinese art are such that each work is both an object and a text, that is, a system of signs that can be read, because any object has its own symbolic meaning. And in Chinese painting, for example in landscape, the implied movement towards wisdom and perfection is necessarily depicted. If you look closely, you will see a path that leads the traveler among the mountain valleys and slopes to the top, where a secluded hut is hidden, and in the hut lives a hermit, to whom the wanderer directs his path. Confucius said that humanity and knowledge are like waters and mountains. And water is one of the main images of wisdom and wise behavior in the Chinese tradition.

The Great Wall of China was not built by the Chinese?

Some historians believe that Great Wall not only protected the Chinese from enemy raids, but also restrained its citizens from escaping from the country. To continue the monstrous theory that the Chinese were forced to build a wall “against” themselves would be confirmed by some loopholes aimed inland. However, there is a hypothesis that the construction of the Great Wall of China was not the work of the Chinese, but of the northern inhabitants. Then, it is quite logical that the loopholes should have helped defend against their southern neighbor.

To support their theory, scientists cite the following facts. The first dates back to the time of the construction of the wall - somewhere between 445 and 222 BC, when there was no news of the Mongol-Tatar nomads yet, therefore, there was no reason for defense. In addition, instead of a united China, there were eight small states, which individually could not “pull” the construction of the Great Wall.

The Qin Dynasty, one of whose representatives was Shi Huangdi, began its reign in 221 BC, therefore, by these years most of the Great Wall had already been completed. And the grandiose structure itself in its style is more similar to European defensive structures erected after the Middle Ages.

Considering the above, it is likely that the towers, loopholes and the famous road above that are so familiar to us were built much later than is believed.

It is no coincidence that all great buildings, such as the huge pyramids in Egypt, the Great Wall in China, and the grandiose Aztec pyramids, raise many questions and bewilderments among historians. Scientists argue not only about When they were the ones who were erected, but also Who specifically built them. Sometimes, in the absence of facts, people begin to believe that people interfered in the construction of such significant structures. higher powers. However, the truth is this: all great buildings owe their existence to ordinary people who not only shed blood and sweat for them, but also gave their lives.

A brief history of the construction of the wall today looks like this. They supposedly started building the wall in the 3rd century BC during the reign of the dynasty Qin, to defend against raids by nomads from the north and clearly define the border of Chinese civilization. The construction was initiated by the famous “collector of Chinese lands” Emperor Qin Shi-Huang Di. He gathered about half a million people for construction, which, considering the total population of 20 million, is a very impressive figure. Then the wall was a structure made mainly of earth - a huge earthen rampart.

During the restoration of the wall, interesting facts were discovered. For example, its stone blocks were held together with sticky rice porridge mixed with slaked lime. Or what the loopholes on its fortresses looked towards China; that on the north side the height of the wall is small, much less than on the south, and there are stairs there. The latest facts, for obvious reasons, are not advertised and are not commented on in any way by official science - neither Chinese nor world. Moreover, when reconstructing towers, they try to build loopholes in the opposite direction, although this is not possible everywhere. These photos show the south side of the wall - the sun is shining at midday.

However, the strangeness with the Chinese wall does not end there. Wikipedia has a complete map of the wall, which shows in different colors the wall that we are told was built by each Chinese dynasty. As we see, there is more than one great wall. Northern China is often and densely dotted with the “Great Walls of China”, which extend into the territory of modern Mongolia and even Russia. Light was shed on these oddities A.A. Tyunyaev in his work “The Chinese Wall - the great barrier from the Chinese”:

Today the Chinese Wall is located inside China. However, there was a time when the wall meant country border.

This fact is confirmed by ancient maps that have reached us. For example, a map of China by the famous medieval cartographer Abraham Ortelius from his geographical atlas of the world Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1602 On the map, north is on the right. It clearly shows that China is separated from the northern country - Tartaria by a wall.

On the map of 1754 "Le Carte de l'Asie" it is also clearly visible that the border of China with Great Tartaria runs along the wall.

And even a map from 1880 shows the wall as China's border with its northern neighbor. It is noteworthy that part of the wall extends quite far into the territory of China’s western neighbor – Chinese Tartaria...

Interesting illustrations for this article are collected on the “Food RA” website...

False antiquity of China