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IntroductionoftheGreatWallTheGreatWall,likethePyramidsofEgypt,theTajMahalinIndiaandtheHangingGardenofBabylon,isoneofthegreatwondersoftheworld. StartingoutintheeastonthebanksoftheYaluRiverinLiaoningProvince,theWallstretcheswestwardsfor12,700kilometerstoJiayuguanintheGobidesert,thusknownastheTenThousandLiWallinChina.TheWallclimbsupanddown,twistsandturnsalongtheridgesoftheYanshanandYinshanMountainChainsthroughfiveprovinces——Liaoning,Hebei,Shanxi,Shaanxi,andGansuandtwoautonomousregions——NingxiaandInnerMongolia,bindingthenorthernChinatogether. HistoricalrecordstracetheconstructionoftheoriginoftheWalltodefensivefortificationbacktotheyear656B.C.duringthereignofKingChengoftheStatesofChu.ItsconstructioncontinuedthroughouttheWarringStatesperiodinthefifthCenturyB.C.whenducalstatesYan,Zhao,Wei,andQinwerefrequentlyplunderedbythenomadicpeopleslivingnorthoftheYinshanandYanshanmountainranges.Walls,then,werebuiltseparatelybytheseducalstatestowardoffsuchharassments.Laterin221B.C.,whenQinconqueredtheotherstatesandunifiedChina,EmperorQinshihuangorderedtheconnectionoftheseindividualwallsandfurtherextensionstoformthebasisofthepresentgreatwall.Asamatteroffact,aseparateouterwallwasconstructednorthoftheYinshanrangeintheHanDynasty(206BC——1644BC.),whichwenttoruinthroughyearsofneglect.Inthemanyinterveningcenturies,succeedingdynastiesrebuiltpartsoftheWall.ThemostextensivereinforcementsandrenovationswerecarriedoutintheMingDynasty(1368——1644)whenaltogether18lengthystretcheswerereinforcedwithbricksandrocks.itismostlytheMingDynastyWallthatvisitorsseetoday. TheGreatWallisdividedintotwosections,theeastandwest,withShanxiProvinceasthedividingline.Thewestpartisarammedearthconstruction,about5.3metershighonaverage.Intheeasternpart,thecoreoftheWallisrammedearthas well,buttheoutershellisreinforcedwithbricksandrocks.ThemostimposingandbestpreservedsectionsoftheGreatWallareatBadalingandMutianyu,notfarfromBeijingandbothareopentovisitors. TheWallofthosesectionsis7.8metershighand6.5meterswideatitsbase,narrowingto5.8metersontheramparts,wideenoughforfivehorsestogallopabreast.Thereareramparts,embrasures,peep-holesandaperturesforarchersonthetop,besidesgutterswithgargoylestodrainrain-waterofftheparapetwalk.Two-storiedwatch-towersarebuiltatapproximately400-metersinternals.Thetopstoriesofthewatch-towerweredesignedforobservingenemymovements,whilethefirstwasusedforstoringgrain,fodder,militaryequipmentandgunpowderaswellasforquarteringgarrisonsoldiers.Thehighestwatch-toweratBadalingstandingonahill-top,isreachedonlyafterasteepclimb,like"climbingaladdertoheaven".Theviewfromthetopisrewarding,hoverer.TheWallfollowsthecontourofmountainsthatriseonebehindtheotheruntiltheyfinallyfadeandmergewithdistanthaze. Asignalsystemformerlyexistedthatservedtocommunicatemilitaryinformationtothedynasticcapital.ThisconsistedofbeacontowersontheWallitselfandonmountaintopswithinsightoftheWall.Attheapproachofenemytroops,smokesignalsgavethealarmfromthebeacontowersinthedaytimeandbonfiredidthisatnight.Emergencysignalscouldberelayedtothecapitalfromdistantplaceswithinafewhourlongbeforetheinventionofanythinglikemoderncommunications. Therestand14majorpasses(Guan,inChinese)atplacesofstrategicimportancealongtheGreatWall,themostimportantbeingShanghaiguanandJiayuguan.YetthemostimpressiveoneisJuyongguan,about50kilometersnorthwestofBeijing. Knownas"TianXiaDiYIGuan"(TheFirstPassUnderHeaven),ShanghaiguanPassissituatedbetweentwosheercliffsforminganeckconnectingnorthChinawiththenortheast.Ithadbeen,therefore,akeyjunctioncontestedbyallstrategistsandmanyfamousbattleswerefoughthere.ItwasthegateofShanghaiguanthattheMing generalWuSanguiopenedtotheManchuarmytosuppressthepeasantrebellionledbyLiZichengandsosurrenderedthewholeMingempiretotheManchus,leadingtothefoundationoftheQingDynasty.(1644-1911) JiayuguanPasswasnotsomuchasthe"StrategicpassUndertheHeaven"asanimportantcommunicationcenterinChinesehistory.Cleftbetweenthesnow-cappedQilianMountainsandtherollingMazongMountains,itwasontheancientSilkRoad.ZhangQian,thefirstenvoyofEmperorWuDioftheWesternHandynasty(206B.C-24A.D),crosseditonhisjourneytothewesternregions.Later,silkflowedtothewestthroughthispasstoo.Thegate-towerofJiayuguanisanattractivebuildingofexcellentworkmanship.Ithasaninnercityandanoutercity,theformersquareinshapeandsurroundedbyawall11.7metershighand730metersincircumference.Ithastwogates,aneasternoneandawesternone.Oneachgatesitsatowerfacingeachother.thefourcornersofthewallareoccupiedbyfourwatchtowers,oneforeach. Juyongguan,agatewaytoancientBeijingfromInnerMongolia,wasbuiltina15-kilometerlongravineflankedbymountains.ThecavalrymenofGenghisKhansweptthroughitinthe13thcentury.AtthecenterofthepassisawhitemarbleplatformnamedtheCloudterrace,whichwascalledtheCrossing-StreetDagoba,sinceitsnarrowarchspannedthemainstreetofthepassandonthetopoftheterracethereusedtobethreestonedagobas,builtintheYuanDynasty(1206-1368).Atthebottomoftheterraceisahalf-octagonalarchgateway,interestingforitswealthofdetail:itisdecoratedwithsplendidimagesofBuddhaandfourcelestialguardianscarvedonthewalls.Thevividnessoftheirexpressionsismatchedbytheexquisiteworkmanship.suchgrandioserelicsworks,withseveralstonespiecedtogether,arerarelyseeninancientChinesecarving.Thegatejambsbearamulti-lingualBuddhistsutra,carvedsome600yearsagoinSanskrit,Tibetan,Mongolian,Uigur(4),HanChineseandthelanguageofWesternXia.Undoubtedly,theyarevaluabletothestudyofBuddhismandancientlanguages. Asaculturalheritage,theWallbelongsnotonlytoChinabuttotheworld.TheVenicechartersays:"Historicalandculturalarchitecturenotonlyincludestheindividualarchitecturalworks,butalsotheurbanorruralenvironmentthatwitnessedcertaincivilizations,significantsocialdevelopmentsorhistoricalevents."TheGreatWallisthelargestofsuchhistoricalandculturalarchitecture,andthatiswhyitcontinuestobesoattractivetopeopleallovertheworld.In1987,theWallwaslistedbyUNESCOasaworldculturalheritagesite.
