Patricia Brennan Demuth - Where Is the Great Wall?

More than two thousand years ago, the emperor of China had workers start building a wall. It was a wall like no other on earththen or now. It has earned its name: the Great Wall. It is the largest structure that humans have ever made!

It is impossible to give its exact length. Thats because the Great Wall wasnt built at one time. Its a series of walls constructed over two thousand years, starting in ancient times. Emperors built new walls and linked them to old ones. Some walls decayed and fell apart. But the last Great Wall, built from about 1400 to 1600, still stands. It stretches in an unbroken line four thousand miles across Chinas northern border. If placed in North America, the main wall would reach from the tip of Florida to the North Pole.

There are also side walls that reach down into China to protect and enclose important places. Altogether, estimates of the Great Walls length range from about six thousand miles to over ten thousand miles. By any measure, its huge!

Many compare the Great Wall to a dragon, a symbol of power and strength in China. The head of the wall starts about sixty-six feet offshore, in the Pacific Ocean on Chinas east coast. Then it twists and turns through the landskirting rivers, crossing grasslands and plains, climbing steep mountains, and plunging down cliffs. Finally it ends in the harsh, dry desert on Chinas western end.

This amazing feat of engineering was handmade! There were no machines or power tools to help buildersno forklifts, tractors, drills, or cement mixers. There were just human hands using tools made of stone, iron, and wood. The wall ended up taking a terrible human toll. It is believed that a million Chinese died while building it.

Today the Great Wall awes visitors from all over the world. The story of China itself is told in its bricks, dirt, and stone.

A Reason for Walls

Its been said that China is a land of walls within walls within walls. The ancient Chinese wanted something big and solid to keep out their enemies. So they built walls around their houses, temples, and cities. Wall building is as ancient as China itself. Almost.

Long before the first walls were built, China was a land of nomads. The earliest people roamed from place to place hunting game. Then, about six thousand years ago, the Chinese began to farm. They built homes, tamed animals, and planted crops. Their land was perfect for agriculture. Rich soil filled its plains. Plenty of rain fell. And three giant riversthe Wei, Yangtze, and Huang Hedrained the land.

Farming led to a settled way of life. Fathers worked the same small plots of land all their lives, then passed the land to their sons. Set routines were followed year after year. Farmers planted in the spring and tilled in the summer. In the fall, they stored large amounts of grain to last them through cold winters.

With plenty to eat and safe shelter, the Chinese thrived. Their culture became highly advancedway ahead of other countries. A written language was developed in China as early as 2200 BC. Learned men started to write Chinas history on bamboo scrolls and stone. Meanwhile other lands still relied on oral storytelling.

Chinas Famous Inventions

The entire world has benefited from discoveries made by the Chinese. Here are some of the things China was the first to invent.

SILK

The Chinese found a way to make the soft, fine cloth by harvesting the thread of silkworms. Chinas oldest silks date back four thousand years.

PORCELAIN

By 1500 BC, Chinese were making early kinds of porcelaina special kind of pottery made by heating clay at very high temperatures. Jars, plates, and cups made of porcelain became a form of artwork in China. In time, the name fine china was given to porcelain, in honor of the country that first made it.

BLAST FURNACE

Metalworkers in China developed a way to melt iron around 500 BC. Their furnaces reached temperatures close to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Europe did not know how to use high-heating methods like this until the Middle Ages.

PAPER

The first paper was made in China in about AD 105 from worn-out fishnet, bamboo bark, and rags.

PRINTING PRESS

Around AD 600, the Chinese were able to print books by using engraved woodblocks. About AD 800, they invented a movable-type press. This was hundreds of years before Gutenberg invented the printing press in Europe in 1453.

GUNPOWDER AND FIREWORKS

Chinese chemists invented gunpowder in AD 800. Before long, they used it to make bombs, rockets, and fireworks.