On a snowy day the Great Wall looks like a swirling silver snake.
The Great Wall is a symbol of the dauntlessly indomitable
spirit of the Chinese nation. The Great Wall extends for
five thousand kilometers and took more than two
millenniums to complete...
The Great Wall extends for
five thousand kilometers from east to west in north China like a
gigantic dragon serpentining its way across deserts, grasslands,
and mountains. To either heads of state or ordinary people from
every part of the world, it being a wonder in the history of
world architecture, stands high as the irresistible allurement.
Many of it's sections and passes have been designated by the
Chinese government as key national cultural sites. In 1987 the
Great Wall was inscribed in the list of the world cultural
heritage by the UNESCO.
It took more than two millennia for the Great Wall to be completed
beginning from the seventh century BC, that is during the Spring and
Autumn and warring states periods. when the rivaling states - Chu, Qi, Wei,
Han, Yan, Qin, Zhao, - constructed walls around their territories
for self-defence. In 221 BC, after qinshihuang unified China, he
had the defense walls of Qin, Yan and Zhao linked, and new
sections added, so that the Great Wall became a 5,000km
affair.
Later dynasties continued to build on the Great Wall to ward off
invasions by the northern nomads. However, the defensive walls built
in different places, and during different periods were not on the
same line. The Great Wall continued to grow in length during the
Qin (221-206 BC), Han (206 BC-220) and Ming (1398-1644) dynasties.
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