7 Wonders of the World -The Great Wall of China and the legends-China

The Great Wall of China spans some 6700 kilometres or 4160 miles and runs from the Sahnhaiguan area in the East to the Lop Nur area in the West. The wall was intially designed as a defence mechanism between the seven states of the old Chinese Empire to protect themselves from neighbouring Mongolia and any other land attacks which may be perceived as a threat. This wonder of the world was first under construction during the sixth century BC and continued with construction,maintenance and upgrades well into the sixteenth century.

The Great Wall of China has been changed and upgraded many times over the centuries, but remains in essence the border between Nothern China and its neighbor Mongolia. Being a military natured civilisation, the Chinese dynasties continued the tradition of building new sections to the wall as each new family of rulers took the throne.

In some areas of the wall, it is possible to see two stretches of wall alongside each other paying tribute to the ruler of that century without degradation and damage to any previous dynasties. Majority of the walls repairs were carried out in the sixteenth century by the popular Ming dynasty.

The Great Wall was designed with soldiers in mind and houses various storage areas for munitions and food supplies and also artillery vantage points for use of bow and arrows.There are also various lookout points which were integral at times of war and confrontation with Mongolia as well as a maze of footpaths to carry pertinent information back and forth between the infantary and command post during conflict.

Even though this is not the case anymore it remains a tourist attraction and a much loved piece of Chinese Heritage. It is unfortunate that in some small towns riddled with poverty, the inhabitants have chosen to forego heritage in much needed times as they pillage the wall for stones with which to build suitable shelter from the elemnets as opposed to purchasing building materials which seems beyond their frugal means.

The other Wonders of the World are currently recognised as follows

Click on the name in the list to read more about it.

Machu Picchu in Peru

Chichen Itsa of Mexico

The Colosseum of Italy

The Great Pyramids of Giza/Gizeh in Egypt

The Taj Mahal of India

Petra in Jordan

 Due to the length of the Great Wall of China and the Towns and Cities that it has influenced as wel as the length of time to which construction has been subjected throught the years,( some 22 centuries of chinese dynasty), ther e are bound to be myths and legends associated with its hsitory of use and construction.

One such legend surrounds a section of the wall called the Huang Hua Cheng Wall which was commisioned by the then Emperor during the Ming Dynasty to a well respected general of the Chinese army. Unfortunately for General Cai Kai, the section of wall was of an extremely steep gradient and took him much distress and architectural marvel to solve in order to construct a stable wall that would stand the rigours of war as well as the test of time.

The cost of the wall was so great due its reinforcing, later becoming affectionately known as the Jin Tang Wall ,Jin Tang meaning "Metal Soup", that the Emperor was infuriated by the cost. Having not travelled to the section of wall to physically inspecting the gradient and solidity of the completed wall himself, the Emperor ordered the beheading of his much respected general and installed shame on his family.

The Emperor eventually realised his mistake and decided to make amends by publicly reinstating the honour of Genreal Cai Kai and his family and erected a plaque honouring the strength and integrity of the section of wall as managed by the general.

With the affordability related to the Chinese Yen, the Great Wall of CHina remains as much a tourist attraction as ever as can be seen in the photo above. Thousands of people every year choose to visit the site and create the most memorable photos with their family.

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