中國歷史文化-長城1文字稿

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TheNewSevenWondersoftheWorld

Theancientworldhadsevensignificantplaces,knownas‘TheSevenWondersoftheWorld’.In2000,acampaignbegantochoosesevenwondersofthemodernworld.

Over100millionvoteswerecast.Thefinalsevenplaceschosenwere:

ChichénItzá,Mexico;

MachuPicchu,Peru;

ChristtheRedeemer,Brazil;

TheColosseum,Italy;

Petra,Jordan;

TajMahal,India;

TheGreatWall,China.

Today,wearegoingtofindoutabouttheGreatWallofChina.

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WhereIsChina?

ChinaisinthecontinentofAsia.

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TheGreatWallofChina

TheGreatWallofChinaisthelongestwallintheworld,measuring21,196kminlength.

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WhereIstheGreatWall?

TheGreatWallrunsfromeasttowestofnorthernChina,neartheborderofMongolia.

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WhenWastheGreatWallFirstBuilt?

Chinawasonceacollectionofstatesruledseparately.In221BC,QinShiHuangbecamethefirstEmperorofaunifiedChina,havingconqueredallofthestates.ThiswasthestartoftheQindynasty(Chinausedtoberuledbydifferentfamilygroups,knownasdynasties).

Around220BC,EmperorQinShiHuangorderedfordefencesbetweentheoldstatestoberemoved.Hethensetinactionaplantojointogetherexistingwallsalongthenorthernbordertoformasingledefensivesystem.ThiswouldprotectChinafrominvasionsfromothercountries.

ThewallwasknownastheWanliChangcheng,whichmeans‘10,000LiLongWall’aliisatraditionalChinesemeasurement,whichisaboutonethirdofamile.

Whenbuilt,thewallitselfwasbetween5and9metreshigh,withrampartsontopreachingaround3.5metreshigher.Beaconsorguardtowerswerespacedalongthestructure.

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HowWastheGreatWallBuilt?

Thewallwaslargelybuiltbysoldiersandconvicts.Itisthoughtthataround1milliontonnesofstone,bricksandsoilwereusedtobuildthewall.Thematerialswerecarriedeitherbyhandoronanimals.Historiansestimatethataround400,000peoplediedduringtheconstructionofthewall.

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Rebuilding

TheQindynastycollapsedinaround206BCandthewallfellintodisrepair.SomedynastiesthatfollowedfixeddifferentpartsofthewallbutthemostsignificantchangesoccurredduringthereignoftheMingdynasty,whichshapedthewallintowhatweseetoday.

DuringtheMingdynasty,BeijingwasdeclaredthecapitalcityofChinaandtherewasalotofconstruction.Thewallwascarefullymaintainedandstrengthenedtopreventinvasionsfromothercountries.

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TheGreatWallToday

Today,notallofthewalllookslikethepicturebelowandlotsofitisn’tactuallyawallanymore.Therearemoundsofearththatshowwheretherouteofthewalloncewas.Onlysectionsofthewallareaswellpreservedasshowninthephoto,particularlyaroundBeijing.

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TheGreatWallToday

TheGreatWallofChinaisapo