Who Built the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China was designed to protect China's borders from enemy invasions and is now a symbol of China's rich cultural heritage.
But who built the Great Wall of China? Over several centuries, different groups contributed to the construction and expansion of the wall, using various techniques and materials.
Who Built the Great Wall of China?
Different ancient Chinese dynasties built The Great Wall hundreds of years ago. It has a long and complex history dates back to the 7th century BC. The emperors of different dynasties were the main planners and supervisors of the construction of the Great Wall.
Warring States Periods (770 - 221 BC)
The Great Wall was first built during the Warring States Period, with small walls constructed by various states to defend their border territories.
The Chu State first built walls to prevent invasion from other states. Then other states built walls along their borders for defense against each other due to their individual defense needs and to compete for hegemony.
The Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 BC)
The Great Wall was constructed over many centuries by various Chinese emperors and dynasties. However, it was Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, who first ordered the walls of several northern states to be connected and extended. He is known for linking many of the existing smaller walls into a single, continuous system to protect China from invading nomadic groups.
Qin Shi Huang's efforts to build and extend the Great Wall were extensive and ambitious. He applied the labor of countless workers to build the wall, which included soldiers, peasants, prisoners, and even scholars. The original wall built under his rule was made from wood, reeds, and mud. The Great Wall built in the Qin Dynasty served as a crucial tool for protecting China's northern borders and preventing invasions.
The Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD)
In the Han Dynasty, due to the Great Wall's long period of disrepair and the shortage of northern garrisons, the powerful Xiongnu, an ancient nationality in China, constantly raided inside the Great Wall.
After Emperor Wu of Han took the throne, he ordered to repair Qin Dynasty's Great Wall and built an additional outer Great Wall, creating a fortification that stretched nearly 10,000 kilometers from the Qilian Mountains in the west to the northern bank of the Yalu River in the east.
The Great Wall repaired by Emperor Wu of Han played a significant role in maintaining the security of the Western Han Empire, as well as maintaining the smooth and safe passage of the Silk Road, with extraordinary historical significance.
The Sui Dynasty (581 - 618)
To confront the southward raids and looting from the Turkic people of the northern deserts, Emperor Wen of Sui, since the founding of the country, regarded the construction of long walls and the consolidation of border defense as an important national defense policy.
After Emperor Yang of Sui's succession to the throne, he continued to build and expand the Great Wall and employed the largest amount of labor ever seen in the Sui Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644)
After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the Mongols, Jurchens, and Wa tribes, who retreated to the northern grasslands, continued to raid and plunder in the south. After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchens also emerged in the northeast region, posing a continuous threat to border security.
To consolidate the northern border defense, the construction of the Great Wall was almost uninterrupted throughout the more than 200 years of Ming Dynasty rule.
The Ming Dynasty in particular invested heavily in the construction of the wall and placed great emphasis on its defense capabilities. The emperors at the time of the Ming Dynasty personally oversaw the wall's construction and made several reforms to improve the wall's overall effectiveness as a defense against invaders.
The total length of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty was over 13,000 kilometers, spanning today's Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia provinces and autonomous regions.
The People's Republic of China
In modern times, the Great Wall has undergone significant restoration and preservation efforts to protect the wall from natural and human damage.
Starting in the 1950s, efforts to restore and preserve parts of the Great Wall began. Over the years, the government has invested millions of dollars in restoration projects to repair degraded sections of the wall and to protect it from erosion, vandalism, and other forms of damage.
In addition to restoration and preservation efforts, the Chinese government also designated the Great Wall as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This designation helped to raise awareness of the wall's importance and to further promote its preservation and protection.
How Many People Built the Great Wall?
The Great Wall of China, stretching over 13,000 miles, is one of the world's most iconic ancient structures. This massive fortification built in ancient times was to defend against the attacks of the northern nomadic tribes. The construction work of the Great Wall was carried out by a large number of laborers and soldiers.
According to historical estimates, it is believed that millions of men were involved in the construction of the Great Wall. These workers were recruited from all over China and included soldiers, peasants, and convicts. Many of them were forced to work on the wall under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions, including exposure to extreme weather, harsh terrain, and frequent attacks from enemies.
The Real Builders of the Great Wall
The emperors of different dynasties were the main planners and supervisors of the construction of the Great Wall. The actual people who built the different parts of the wall were soldiers, peasants, laborers, prisoners, and convicts, depending on the dynasty in power and the needs of the time.
Soldiers
During the early stages of the Great Wall's construction, soldiers were the primary builders. They were responsible for constructing the initial watchtowers, signal towers, and beacon towers, which were used to send messages across long distances.
Peasants and Laborers
As the wall's construction progressed and it became clear that more workers were needed, thousands of peasants and laborers were conscripted to work on the wall. The workers were required to provide their food and shelter during the construction process, making it a difficult and often deadly job.
Prisoners and Convicts
Throughout the centuries, prisoners and convicts were often used as forced labor to work on the wall. They were usually criminals or political prisoners who had been given life sentences or the death penalty, and they were forced to work on the wall as a form of punishment.