The Great Wall of China, also known in China as the Great Wall of 10,000 Li¹ (), is an ancient Chinese fortification built from the end of the 15th century until the beginning of the 16th century, during the Ming Dynasty, in order to protect China from raids by the Mongols and Turkic tribes. The Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching approximately 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles ) from east to west of China just like an enormous dragon starting from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west traversing provinces of Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Gansu.
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| The Great Wall was originally built in the Spring, Autumn, and Warring States Periods as a defensive fortification by the three states: Yan, Zhao and Qin. The Great Wall went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties.
The Great Wall was constructed with the local resources such as quarried limestone blocks, granite or fired bricks, mixture of earth and rubble and in some areas the blocks were cemented with a mixture of sticky rice and eggwhite.
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In the extreme western desert locations, where good materials are scarce, the wall was constructed from dirt rammed between rough wood tied together with woven mats.
A great army of manpower composed of soldiers, prisoners, and local people, built the wall. The workers were under continuous danger of being attacked by brigands. Because many people died while building the wall, it has obtained the ghastly title, "longest cemetery on Earth" or "the long graveyard.
The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was eincluded in the list of World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 1987.
With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the section of the great wall are now in ruins or even completely vanished However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural magnificence and historical significance.
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Allwondersoftheworld.com describes about the Great Chinese Wall and visit to the Great Wall is like an expedition to the past; it brings tourists immense excitement in each step of the wall.
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