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 The Great Wall started as earth
works thrown up for protection by
different States. The individual
sections weren't connected until
the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.).
Qin Shihuangdi, First Emperor of
Qin began conscripting peasants,
enemies, and anyone else who
wasn't tied to the land to go to
work on the wall. He garrisoned
armies at the Wall to stand guard
over the workers as well as to
defend the northern boundaries.
The tradition lasted for
centuries. Each dynasty added to
the height, breadth, length, and
elaborated the design mostly
through forced labor.
It was during the Ming dynasty
(1368-1644) that the Wall took on
its present form. The brick and
granite work was enlarged and
sophisticated designs were added.
The watch towers were redesigned
and modern canon were mounted in
strategic areas. The Portuguese
had found a ready market for guns
and canon in China, one of the few
items of trade that China didn't
already have in abundance. The
Ming Emperors, having overthrown
the Hun dominance and expelled
their Mongol rulers of the North
devoted large portions of
available material and manpower to
making sure that they didn't
return.
Throughout the centuries, armies
were garrisoned along the length
of the Wall to provide early
warning of invasion and a first
line of defense. Great piles of
straw and dung used to build
signal fires have been found
during excavations. There must
have been small garrison towns
spotted along the length. There
weren't many farms or trade towns
to provide ease, relaxation and
food. The supply trails were over
mountains along narrow paths. To
bring supplies to the top, ropes
were slung over posts set in the
Chinese side of the wall and
baskets were hauled up hand over
hand. Supplies must have always
been short and chancy,
particularly in the winter.
The Wall served well. Only when a
dynasty had weakened from within
were invaders from the north able
to advance and conquer. Both the
Mongols (Yuan Dynasty, 1271-1368)
and the Manchurians (Qing
Dynasty,1644-1911) were able take
power, not because of weakness in
the Wall but because of weakness
in the government and the poverty
of the people. They took advantage
of rebellion from within and
stepped into the void of power
without extended wars.
Over the past few centuries, the
Great Wall has served as a source
of building materials for local
farms and villages. Aerial photos
show that in sections, only the
top battlements show -- the center
of the wall has filled with sand
and silt. The same brutal isolated
conditions which made the Great
Wall a triumph of engineering and
determined planning make
restoration problematic and slow. |
