SOME Russian researchers (President of the Academy of Basic Sciences A.A. Tyunyaev and his like-minded person, honorary doctor of the University of Brussels V.I. Semeiko) express doubts about the generally accepted version of the origin of the protective structure on the northern borders of the Qin Dynasty state. In November 2006, in one of his publications, Andrei Tyunyaev formulated his thoughts on this topic as follows: “As you know, to the north of the territory of modern China there was another, much more ancient civilization. This has been repeatedly confirmed by archaeological discoveries made, in particular, in Eastern Siberia. The impressive evidence of this civilization, comparable to Arkaim in the Urals, not only has not yet been studied and comprehended by world historical science, but has not even received proper assessment in Russia itself.”
As for the so-called “Chinese” wall, it is not entirely legitimate to talk about it as an achievement of ancient Chinese civilization. Here, to confirm our scientific correctness, it is enough to cite only one fact. THE LOOPS on a significant part of the wall ARE NOT DIRECTED TO THE NORTH, BUT TO THE SOUTH! And this is clearly visible not only in the most ancient, unreconstructed sections of the wall, but even in recent photographs and works of Chinese drawing.
It is generally accepted that it began to be built back in the 3rd century BC. to protect the state of the Qin dynasty from the attacks of the “northern barbarians” - the nomadic Xiongnu people. In the 3rd century AD, during the Han Dynasty, construction of the wall was resumed and it was expanded westward.
Over time, the wall began to collapse, but during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), according to Chinese historians, the wall was restored and strengthened. Those parts of it that have survived to this day were built mainly in the 15th - 16th centuries.
During the three centuries of the Manchu Qing dynasty (from 1644), the defensive structure became dilapidated and almost everything was destroyed, since the new rulers of the Celestial Empire did not need protection from the north. Only in our time, in the mid-1980s, did restoration of sections of the wall begin as material evidence of the ancient origin of statehood in the lands of Northeast Asia.
Previously, the Chinese themselves made the discovery that ancient Chinese writing belonged to another people. There are already published works proving that these people were the Aryan Slavs.
In 2008, at the First International Congress “Pre-Cyrillic Slavic Writing and Pre-Christian Slavic Culture” at Leningrad State University named after A.S. Pushkin Tyunyaev made a report “China is the younger brother of Rus'”, during which he presented fragments of Neolithic ceramics from the territory
eastern part of North China. The signs depicted on the ceramics were not similar to Chinese characters, but showed an almost complete coincidence with the Old Russian runic - up to 80 percent.
The researcher, based on the latest archaeological data, expresses the opinion that during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages the population of the western part of Northern China was Caucasian. Indeed, throughout Siberia, right up to China, mummies of Caucasians are being discovered. According to genetic data, this population had the Old Russian haplogroup R1a1.
This version is also supported by the mythology of the ancient Slavs, which tells about the movement of the ancient Rus in an eastern direction - they were led by Bogumir, Slavunya and their son Scythian. These events are reflected, in particular, in the Book of Veles, which, let us make a reservation, is not recognized by academic historians.
Tyunyaev and his supporters point out that the Great Wall of China was built similarly to European and Russian medieval walls, the main purpose of which was protection from firearms. The construction of such structures began no earlier than the 15th century, when cannons and other siege weapons appeared on the battlefields. Before the 15th century, the so-called northern nomads did not have artillery.
Pay attention from which side the sun is shining.
BASED ON these data, Tyunyaev expresses the opinion that the wall in eastern Asia was built as a defensive structure marking the border between two medieval states. It was erected after an agreement was reached on the delimitation of territories. And this, according to Tyunyaev, is confirmed by the map of that
time when the border between the Russian Empire and the Qing Empire passed precisely along the wall.
We are talking about a map of the Qing Empire of the second half of the 17th-18th centuries, presented in the academic 10-volume “World History”. That map shows in detail a wall running exactly along the border between the Russian Empire and the empire of the Manchu dynasty (Qing Empire).
There are other translation options from the French phrase “Muraille de la Chine” - “wall from China”, “wall delimiting from China”. After all, in an apartment or in a house, we call the wall that separates us from our neighbors the neighbor’s wall, and the wall that separates us from the street the outer wall. We have the same thing when naming borders: Finnish border, Ukrainian border... In this case, the adjectives indicate only the geographical location of the Russian borders.
It is noteworthy that in medieval Rus' there was a word “kita” - a knitting of poles that were used in the construction of fortifications. Thus, the name of the Moscow district Kitai-Gorod was given in the 16th century for the same reasons - the building consisted of a stone wall with 13 towers and 6 gates...
According to the opinion enshrined in the official version of history, the construction of the Great Wall of China began in 246 BC. under Emperor Shi Huangdi, its height was from 6 to 7 meters, the purpose of construction was protection from northern nomads.
Russian historian L.N. Gumilyov wrote: “The wall stretched for 4 thousand km. Its height reached 10 meters, and every 60-100 meters there were watchtowers.” He noted: “When the work was completed, it turned out that all of China’s armed forces were not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall. In fact, if you place a small detachment on each tower, the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and send help. If large detachments are placed less frequently, gaps will be created through which the enemy can easily and unnoticed penetrate into the interior of the country. A fortress without defenders is not a fortress.”
Moreover, the towers of the loophole are located on the South side, as if the defenders were repelling attacks from the NORTH????
Andrey Tyunyaev proposes to compare two towers - from the Chinese Wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. The shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed at the top. From the wall there is an entrance leading into both towers, covered with a round arch made of the same brick as the wall with the tower. Each of the towers has two upper “working” floors. On the first floor of both towers there are round-arched windows. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130-160 centimeters.
What does a comparison of the surviving towers of the Chinese city of Beijing with the medieval towers of Europe say? The fortress walls of the Spanish city of Avila and Beijing are very similar to each other, especially in the fact that the towers are located very often and have practically no architectural adaptations for military needs. The Beijing towers have only an upper deck with loopholes, and are laid out at the same height as the rest of the wall.
Neither the Spanish nor the Beijing towers show such a high similarity with the defensive towers of the Chinese Wall, as do the towers of Russian kremlins and fortress walls. And this is something for historians to think about.
The Great Wall of China is a unique structure; it looks like the body of a long dragon, spread across northern China. The length is more than 6400 km, the thickness of the wall is about 3 meters, and the height can reach seven meters. It is believed that it was in the 3rd century BC that the construction of the wall began, and ended only in the 17th century AD. It turns out that according to the accepted historical version, this construction lasted almost 2000 years. Truly a unique building. History does not know such long-term construction. Everyone is so accustomed to this historical version that few people think about its absurdity.
Any construction project, especially a large one, has a specific practical purpose. Who today would think of starting a huge construction project that can only be completed in 2000 years? Of course, no one! Because it's pointless. Not only will this endless construction put a heavy burden on the population of the country, the building itself will be constantly destroyed and will have to be restored. This is what happened with the Great Wall of China.
We will never know what the first sections of the wall, allegedly built before our era, looked like. They, of course, collapsed. And those sections that have survived to this day were mainly built during the Ming Dynasty, that is, allegedly, in the period from the 14th to the 17th centuries AD. Because in that era, the building materials were bricks and stone blocks, which made the structure more reliable. So historians are still forced to admit that this “wall,” which anyone can see today, appeared no earlier than the 14th century AD. But even 600 years is a fairly respectable age for a stone building. It is still not clear why this structure is so well preserved.
In Europe, for example, medieval defensive structures grew old and fell apart over time. They had to be dismantled and new, more modern ones built. The same thing happened in Rus'. Many medieval military fortifications were rebuilt in the 17th century. But in China, for some reason these natural physical laws do not apply...
Even if we assume that the ancient Chinese builders had some kind of secret, thanks to which they created such a unique structure, historians do not have a logical answer to the most important question: “Why did the Chinese build a stone wall with such tenacity for 2000 years? Who did they want to protect themselves from? - historians answer: “The wall was built along the entire border of the Chinese empire to protect against the attacks of nomads...”
Such a wall, as much as 3 meters thick, was not needed against the nomads. Russians and Europeans began to build such structures only when cannons and siege weapons appeared on the battlefields, that is, in the 15th century.
But the point is not even in its thickness, but in its length. The wall, stretching for several thousand kilometers, could not protect China from raids.
Firstly, in many places it passes at the foot of mountains and nearby hills. It is quite obvious that the enemy, having climbed onto the neighboring peaks, could easily shoot all the defenders on this section of the wall. From arrows flying from above, the Chinese soldiers would simply have nowhere to hide.
Secondly, along the entire length of the wall, watchtowers were built every 60-100 meters. Large military detachments were constantly supposed to be in these towers and monitor the appearance of the enemy. But back in the 3rd century BC, under Emperor Qin Shihuang Di, when 4,000 km of the wall had already been built, it became clear that if the towers were installed so often, it would not be possible to ensure effective defense of the wall. All the armed forces of the Chinese Empire will not be enough. And if you place a small detachment on each tower, then it will become easy prey for the enemy. A small detachment will be destroyed before neighboring detachments have time to come to its aid. If the defensive detachments are made large, but deployed less frequently, then too long and unprotected sections of the wall are formed, through which the enemy can easily penetrate deep into the country.
It is not surprising that the appearance of such a fortification did not protect China from raids. But its construction greatly depleted the state, and the Qin dynasty lost its throne. The new Han dynasty no longer had much hope for the great wall and returned to the system of maneuver warfare, but, according to historians, the construction of the wall, for some reason, continued. Strange story...
It is also interesting that until the end of the 17th century, apart from the Great Wall of China, not a single large stone structure was built in China. But scientists claim that the population of China waged constant wars among themselves. Why didn’t they fence themselves off from each other with walls and build stone kremlins in their cities?
With such experience as the construction of the Great Wall of China, the entire country could be covered with defensive structures. It turns out that the Chinese spent all their resources, strength and talents only on the construction of the, in general, useless from a military point of view - the Great Wall of China.
But there is another historical version of the construction of the Great Wall of China. This version is not as popular among historians as the first, but it is more logical.
The Great Wall was indeed built along the border of China, but not to protect against nomads, but to mark the border between the two states. And its construction began not 2000 years ago, but much later, in the 17th century AD. That is, the famous wall is no more than 300 years old. An interesting historical fact speaks in favor of this version.
According to the official historical version, by the middle of the 17th century, the northern lands of China were severely depopulated and in order to protect these lands from settlement by Russians and Koreans, in 1678, Emperor Kangxi ordered this border of the empire to be surrounded by a special fortified line. Its construction continued until the end of the 80s of the 17th century.
The question immediately arises: why did the emperor need to build some kind of new fortified line, if a huge stone wall had stood on the entire northern border of China for a long time?
Most likely, there was no wall there yet, so in order to protect their lands, the Chinese began building a line of fortifications, because it was at that time that China was fighting border wars with Russia. And only in the 17th century both sides agreed where the border between the two states would be.
In 1689, a treaty was signed in the city of Nerchinsk, which fixed the northern border of China. Probably the Chinese rulers of the 17th century attached great importance to the Treaty of Nerchinsk, which is why they decided to mark the border not only on paper, but also on the ground. So a border wall appeared along the entire border with Russia.
On the map of Asia of the 18th century, made by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam, two states are clearly visible, China and Tartary. China's northern border runs approximately along the 40th parallel, and the Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border. Moreover, it is highlighted with a bold line and the inscription: “Muraille de la Chine” - which translated from French means: “Wall of China”. The same thing can be seen in many other maps produced after the 17th century.
Of course, one can assume that the ancient Chinese foresaw 2000 years ago where the Russian-Chinese border would be, and in 1689, the two states simply drew the border along the wall that stood here, but in this case, this would definitely have been indicated in the treaty, but in the Nerchinsk Treaty there is no mention of the wall.
For several decades now, scientists around the world have been sounding the alarm. One of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China, is rapidly collapsing! And indeed, in some places, the height of the wall has decreased to two meters, in some places the observation towers have completely disappeared, several tens of kilometers of the wall have been completely lost, and hundreds of kilometers continue to rapidly collapse. And this despite the fact that over the past few centuries, the wall has been repaired and restored several times, why was it not destroyed at such a rate before? Why, after standing for more than two thousand years, did the wall quickly begin to turn into ruins?
Scientists blame climate, ecology, agriculture and, of course, tourists for everything. Every year 10 million people visit the wall. They go where they can and where they can’t. They want to see even those parts of the wall that are closed to the public. But the matter is most likely something else...
The Great Wall of China is being destroyed in a completely natural way, just like all similar structures were destroyed. 300 years is a very respectable age for a stone building, and the version that the great Chinese long-term construction is as long as 2000 years old is a MYTH. As is much of Chinese history itself.
P.S. There is also another version circulating on the Internet that the Great Wall of China was not built by the Chinese at all. In those days, in China, practically nothing was built of stone except this wall. Moreover, the loopholes on the old, unrestored sections of the wall are located only on the south side. Unfortunately, I have not been to China and cannot say with certainty whether this is actually true. Photographs that determine the south side based on the sun's shadow cannot be taken as evidence. As you know, the wall does not go in a straight line, the directions are completely different, the sun can shine from both the southern and northern sides of the wall, roughly speaking.
East is a delicate matter. This is what Vereshchagin said in the legendary “White Sun of the Desert”. And he turned out to be right, more than ever. The thin line between reality and the mystery of Chinese culture encourages tourists to go to the Celestial Empire in order to unravel the mysteries.
In northern China, along winding mountain paths, rises the Great Wall of China - one of the most famous and extraordinary architectural structures in the world. At least once, each of the people more or less interested in history looked for what the Great Wall of China looks like on the map, and whether it is so majestic.
The beginning of the Great Wall of China is near the city of Shanhaiguan, Hebei Province. The length of the Great Wall of China, taking into account the “branches,” reaches 8851.9 km, but if measured in a straight line, the length will be about 2500 km. The width varies, according to various estimates, from 5 to 8 meters. Scientists claim that it was built so that a patrol of 5 horsemen could easily pass through it. Rising to a height of 10 meters, protected by observation towers and loopholes, the wall protected the eastern power from attacks by nomadic peoples. The end of the Great Wall of China, which even bypasses the outskirts of Beijing, is located near the city of Jiayuguan, Gansu Province.
Construction of the Great Wall of China - a historical approach
Historians around the world agree that the Great Wall of China began to be built around the 3rd century BC. Due to military historical events, global construction was interrupted and leaders, architects and the approach to it as a whole changed. On this basis, there are still debates on the topic: who built the Great Wall of China?
Archives and research give reason to believe that the Great Wall of China began to be created on the initiative of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The ruler was prompted to such a radical decision by the period of the Warring States, when, during long battles, the 150 states of the Celestial Empire were reduced by 10 times. The increased danger of wandering barbarians and invaders frightened Emperor Qin, and he assigned the general Meng Tian to lead the large-scale construction of the century.
Despite bad mountain roads, potholes and gorges, the first 500 workers headed to the northern part of China. Hunger, lack of water and hard physical labor exhausted the builders. But, according to all Eastern severity, those who disagreed were severely punished. Over time, the number of slaves, peasants and soldiers who built the Great Wall of China increased to a million people. They all worked day and night, following the Emperor’s orders.
During construction, twigs and reeds were used, held together with clay and even rice porridge. In some places the earth was simply compacted or mounds of pebbles were created. The peak of the building achievements of that period were clay bricks, which were immediately dried in the sun and laid out row after row.
After the change of power, Qin's initiatives were continued by the Han dynasty. Thanks to their assistance, in 206-220 BC, the wall stretched another 10,000 km, and watchtowers appeared in certain areas. The system was such that from one such “tower” one could see two standing next to each other. This is how communication between the guards was carried out.
Video - History of the construction of the Great Wall of China
The Ming Dynasty, which came to the throne, starting in 1368, replaced some of the worn-out and not particularly strong building materials with durable brick and massive stone blocks. Also, with their assistance, in the area of the current city of Jian'an, the wall was restored with purple marble. This change also affected the section near Yanshan.
But not all Chinese rulers supported this idea. The Qing Dynasty, having come to power, simply abandoned construction. The imperial family did not see the practicality of a block of stone on the outskirts of the state. The only part they were worried about was the erected gate near Beijing. They were used for their intended purpose.
Only decades later, in 1984, the Chinese authorities decided to restore the Great Wall of China. Little by little from the world - and construction began to boil again. With money collected from caring sponsors and philanthropists around the world, destroyed stone blocks in several sections of the wall were replaced.
What does a tourist need to know?
After reading history books and looking at photographs, you may feel an irresistible desire to go and challenge yourself to climb the Great Wall of China. But before you imagine yourself as an Emperor on top of a rock massif, you need to consider a few points.
First of all, it's not that simple. The problem is not only the amount of paperwork. You will have to submit copies of both passports, an application form, photographs, copies of round-trip tickets and a copy of your hotel reservation. Also, you will be asked for a certificate from your place of work, where your salary should not be less than 5,000 hryvnia. If you are unemployed, you must have a certificate from the bank about the status of your personal account. Please note - it must be worth at least 1500-2000 dollars. If you have collected all the necessary forms, copies and photographs, then you will be provided with a visa for up to 30 days without the possibility of extension.
Secondly, it is advisable to plan a visit to the Great Wall of China in advance. It’s worth deciding on the miracle of architecture and how to spend time there. You can go from the hotel to the wall on your own. But it is better to book a planned excursion and follow the plan provided by the guide.
The most popular tours offered in China take you to several sections of the wall that are open to the public.
The first option is the Badaling section. For the excursion you will have to pay about 350 yuan (1355 hryvnia). For this money you will not only explore the wall and climb to the heights, but also visit the tombs of that very Ming dynasty.
The second option is the Mutianyu site. Here the price reaches 450 yuan (1,740 hryvnia), for which, after visiting the wall, you will be taken to the Forbidden City, the greatest palace complex of the Ming Dynasty.
Also, there are a lot of one-time and shortened excursions, in the context of which you can either walk along the hundreds of steps of the Great Wall of China, or take a funicular ride, or simply admire the picturesque view from the tops of the towers.
What else is worth knowing about the Great Wall of China?
The Great Wall of China, like everything else in the Celestial Empire, is shrouded in legends, beliefs and mysteries.
There is a legend among the Chinese people that even at the beginning of the construction of the wall, the lover Meng Jiangui accompanied her newly-made husband to the construction. However, after waiting for him for three years, she could not stand the separation and went to the wall to see her beloved and give him warm clothes. It was only after going through a difficult path that she found out at the wall that her husband had died of hunger and hard work. Overwhelmed by grief, Maine fell to her knees and sobbed, causing part of the wall to crumble down, and the body of her deceased husband appeared from under the stones.
Local residents support such legends with superstitions. They believe that if you put your ear to the stones of the wall, you can hear the groans and cries of those workers who were buried during the construction of the Great Wall of China.
Video - The Mesmerizing Great Wall of China
Other storytellers claim that the mass graves of slave construction workers are a tribute to higher powers. Because as soon as Emperor Qin ordered the construction of a defensive structure, a court magician came to him. He told the emperor that the Great Wall would be completed only when 10,000 inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom were buried under the boulders, and a Chinese man named Wang was dead. Inspired by the sorcerer’s speeches, the emperor ordered to find a subject with that name, kill him and wall him up within the walls.
There is also a more mundane story, which to most seems only a myth. The fact is that in 2006 V. Semeiko published an article in one of the scientific journals. In it, he suggested that the authors and builders of the stone border were not the Chinese, but the Russians. The author reinforces his idea by the fact that the towers are directed towards China, as if observing the eastern state. And the fact that the general style of construction is more typical of Russian defensive walls supposedly unconditionally testifies to the Slavic roots of the architectural phenomenon.
Whether this is true or just a hoax will remain a mystery for centuries. But tourists happily come to China to walk the steps of one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. Stand at the tower and wave your hand to the sky in the hope that somewhere in orbit someone will certainly see them. But the theory that the Great Wall of China is visible from orbit is a lie. The only celestial images the wall can boast of are those from satellite cameras. But this fact also gives the wall a special grandeur.
And, be that as it may, the Great Wall of China, with all its ambiguity and mystery, is the best symbol of the massiveness, strength and greatness of the Celestial Empire. Its sublimity and successful symbiosis of innovation and mysticism.
In China, there is another material evidence of the presence in this country of a highly developed civilization, to which the Chinese have no relation. Unlike the Chinese pyramids, this evidence is well known to everyone. This is the so-called The great Wall of China.
Let's see what orthodox historians have to say about this largest architectural monument, which has recently become a major tourist attraction in China. The wall is located in the north of the country, stretching from the sea coast and going deep into the Mongolian steppes, and according to various estimates, its length, including branches, is from 6 to 13,000 km. The thickness of the wall is several meters (on average 5 meters), the height is 6-10 meters. It is alleged that the wall included 25 thousand towers.
A brief history of the construction of the wall today looks like this. They supposedly started building the wall in the 3rd century BC during the reign of the dynasty Qin, to defend against raids by nomads from the north and clearly define the border of Chinese civilization. The construction was initiated by the famous “collector of Chinese lands” Emperor Qin Shi-Huang Di. He gathered about half a million people for construction, which, considering the total population of 20 million, is a very impressive figure. Then the wall was a structure made mainly of earth - a huge earthen rampart.
During the reign of the dynasty Han(206 BC - 220 AD) the wall was expanded to the west, strengthened with stone and a line of watchtowers was built that went deep into the desert. Under the dynasty Min(1368-1644) the wall continued to be built. As a result, it stretched from east to west from the Bohai Gulf in the Yellow Sea to the western border of the modern province of Gansu, entering the territory of the Gobi Desert. It is believed that this wall was built by the efforts of a million Chinese from bricks and stone blocks, which is why these sections of the wall have been preserved to this day in the form in which a modern tourist is already accustomed to seeing it. The Ming Dynasty was replaced by the Manchu Dynasty Qing(1644-1911), which was not involved in the construction of the wall. She limited herself to maintaining in relative order a small area near Beijing, which served as the “gateway to the capital.”
In 1899, American newspapers started a rumor that the wall would soon be demolished and a highway would be built in its place. However, no one was going to demolish anything. Moreover, in 1984, a program to restore the wall was launched on the initiative of Deng Xiaoping and under the leadership of Mao Zedong, which is still being carried out today, and is financed from Chinese and foreign companies, as well as individuals. It is not reported how much Mao drove to restore the wall. Several areas were repaired, and in some places they were completely rebuilt. So we can assume that in 1984 the construction of the fourth wall of China began. Usually, tourists are shown one of the sections of the wall, located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the area of Mount Badaling, the length of the wall is 50 km.
The wall makes the greatest impression not in the Beijing region, where it was built on not very high mountains, but in remote mountainous areas. There, by the way, you can clearly see that the wall, as a defensive structure, was made very thoughtfully. Firstly, five people in a row could move along the wall itself, so it was also a good road, which is extremely important when it is necessary to transport troops. Under the cover of the battlements, the guards could secretly approach the area where the enemies were planning to attack. The signal towers were located in such a way that each of them was within sight of the other two. Some important messages were transmitted either by drumming, or by smoke, or by the fire of fires. Thus, the news of an enemy invasion from the farthest borders could be transmitted to the center per day!
During the restoration of the wall, interesting facts were discovered. For example, its stone blocks were held together with sticky rice porridge mixed with slaked lime. Or what the loopholes on its fortresses looked towards China; that on the north side the height of the wall is small, much less than on the south, and there are stairs there. The latest facts, for obvious reasons, are not advertised and are not commented on in any way by official science - neither Chinese nor world. Moreover, when reconstructing towers, they try to build loopholes in the opposite direction, although this is not possible everywhere. These photos show the south side of the wall - the sun is shining at midday.
However, the strangeness with the Chinese wall does not end there. Wikipedia has a complete map of the wall, which shows in different colors the wall that we are told was built by each Chinese dynasty. As we see, there is more than one great wall. Northern China is often and densely dotted with the “Great Walls of China”, which extend into the territory of modern Mongolia and even Russia. Light was shed on these oddities A.A. Tyunyaev in his work “The Chinese Wall - the great barrier from the Chinese”:
“Tracing the stages of construction of the “Chinese” wall, based on the data of Chinese scientists, is extremely interesting. It is clear from them that the Chinese scientists who call the wall “Chinese” are not very concerned about the fact that the Chinese people themselves did not take any part in its construction: every time another section of the wall was built, the Chinese state was far from the construction sites.
So, the first and main part of the wall was built in the period from 445 BC. to 222 BC It runs along 41-42° north latitude and at the same time along some sections of the river. Yellow River. At this time, naturally, there were no Mongol-Tatars. Moreover, the first unification of peoples within China took place only in 221 BC. under the kingdom of Qin. And before that there was the Zhanguo period (5-3 centuries BC), in which eight states existed on Chinese territory. Only in the middle of the 4th century. BC. The Qin began to fight against other kingdoms, and by 221 BC. conquered some of them.
The figure shows that the western and northern border of the Qin state by 221 BC. began to coincide with that section of the “Chinese” wall that began to be built in 445 BC and it was built exactly in 222 BC
Thus, we see that this section of the “Chinese” wall was built not by the Chinese of the Qin state, but northern neighbors, but precisely from the Chinese spreading to the north. In just 5 years - from 221 to 206. BC. - a wall was built along the entire border of the Qin state, which stopped the spread of its subjects to the north and west. In addition, at the same time, 100-200 km west and north of the first, a second line of defense against Qin was built - the second “Chinese” wall of this period.
The next construction period covers the time from 206 BC to 220 AD During this period, sections of the wall were built, located 500 km to the west and 100 km to the north of the previous ones... During the period from 618 to 907 China was ruled by the Tang dynasty, which did not mark itself with victories over its northern neighbors.
In the next period, from 960 to 1279 The Song Empire established itself in China. At this time, China lost dominance over its vassals in the west, in the northeast (on the Korean Peninsula) and in the south - in northern Vietnam. The Song Empire lost a significant part of the territories of the Chinese proper in the north and northwest, which went to the Khitan state of Liao (part of the modern provinces of Hebei and Shanxi), the Tangut kingdom of Xi-Xia (part of the territories of the modern province of Shaanxi, the entire territory of the modern province of Gansu and Ningxia-Hui autonomous region).
In 1125, the border between the non-Chinese Jurchen kingdom and China ran along the river. Huaihe is 500-700 km south of where the wall was built. And in 1141, a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Chinese Song Empire recognized itself as a vassal of the non-Chinese state of Jin, pledging to pay it a large tribute.
However, while China itself huddled south of the river. Hunahe, 2100-2500 km north of its borders, another section of the “Chinese” wall was erected. This part of the wall built from 1066 to 1234, passes through Russian territory north of the village of Borzya next to the river. Argun. At the same time, 1500-2000 km north of China, another section of the wall was built, located along the Greater Khingan...
The next section of the wall was built between 1366 and 1644. It runs along the 40th parallel from Andong (40°), just north of Beijing (40°), through Yinchuan (39°) to Dunhuang and Anxi (40°) in the west. This section of the wall is the last, the southernmost and the deepest penetrating into the territory of China... At the time of the construction of this section of the wall, the entire Amur region belonged to Russian territories. By the middle of the 17th century, Russian fortresses (Albazinsky, Kumarsky, etc.), peasant settlements and arable lands already existed on both banks of the Amur. In 1656, the Daurian (later Albazinsky) voivodeship was formed, which included the valley of the Upper and Middle Amur on both banks... The “Chinese” wall, built by the Russians by 1644, ran exactly along the border of Russia with Qing China. In the 1650s, Qing China invaded Russian lands to a depth of 1,500 km, which was secured by the Aigun (1858) and Beijing (1860) treaties...”
Today the Chinese Wall is located inside China. However, there was a time when the wall meant country border.
This fact is confirmed by ancient maps that have reached us. For example, a map of China by the famous medieval cartographer Abraham Ortelius from his geographical atlas of the world Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1602 On the map, north is on the right. It clearly shows that China is separated from the northern country - Tartaria by a wall.
On the map of 1754 "Le Carte de l'Asie" it is also clearly visible that the border of China with Great Tartary runs along the wall.
And even a map from 1880 shows the wall as China's border with its northern neighbor. It is noteworthy that part of the wall extends quite far into the territory of China’s western neighbor – Chinese Tartaria...
Interesting illustrations for this article are collected on the “Food RA” website...
False antiquity of China
The Great Wall of China (China) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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It is difficult to find a larger-scale creation of human hands than the Great Wall of China. We can only highlight the Egyptian pyramids. And while the structures in the Giza Valley are mostly concentrated in one place, the wall, like a giant dragon, stretches across deserts, fields, mountains and plateaus, stretching for more than 20,000 km from east to west China. Despite its almost zero effectiveness in protecting against invaders, it still became a symbol of the country’s power, a kind of barrier between the Middle Kingdom and the rest of the world. Today, millions of tourists annually strive to see this symbol, a significant part of which are residents of the PRC, who believe that if a person has never been on the wall, he cannot be a real Chinese.
A little history
The Great Wall of China was not built overnight. This is the result of the work of many states that existed on the territory of modern China. The rulers of the Chu state began to build it in the 7th century, and it was completed in 1878 by the rulers of the Qing Empire. The main part of the structure was built 600 years ago. Until the 1980s, the wall was practically not repaired, and only the Badaling segment was in more or less intact condition. But thanks to a large-scale restoration program, the structure was saved, although many areas are still in a dilapidated state.
There is an urban legend that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space. In fact, this is not entirely true. The wall is truly impressive, but primarily for its length. Its width is relatively small, and visual acuity is simply not enough to see it. But you can still see the wall in a high-quality photograph. She looks similar to him, but has thin, broken hair.
What to see
The Great Wall is not a solid structure. Over the 2,700 years of its existence, many of its sections turned into ruins, or were even completely dismantled. Therefore, this means traveling to certain segments, most often completely restored, located near large cities with developed tourist infrastructure.
Mutianyu is the most sleek 73-kilometer section, located 2 hours drive from Beijing. The carefully restored wall with many watchtowers is surrounded by stunning mountain ranges. There are not as many people here as on other segments, so if time permits, it is better to go here. According to many tourists, the architecture here is more interesting than in the super popular Badalin area.
Badaling is often crowded - this is “thanks” to the short distance from Beijing (80 km), developed infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, cable car) and, of course, beautiful scenery.
Symatai is one of the few segments that has retained its original 14th century appearance. The bricks that make up the wall are marked with the date they were laid and the number of the military unit involved in the construction. This is the only area open in the evening.
The highlight of the Jinshanling segment is a well-preserved defensive system with loopholes, clock towers, gates and firing points.
Practical information
The most popular sections of the wall are located in relative proximity to Beijing. Here's how to get to them.
Mutianyu. Take the subway directly from the airport and get to Dongzhimen station. From there, on weekends at 7:00 and 8:30, bus No. 867 leaves for the wall. It spends 2-2.5 hours on the road and leaves back for Beijing at 14:00 and 16:00.
Badalin. Bus No. 877 to Badaling departs from the capital's Deshengmen Bus Station from 6:00. You can also get here by taking the Beijing Tourist Hub tourist bus, which runs from the southern end of Tiananmen Square. The ticket costs 100 CNY, children under 120 cm tall travel for free.
Get out. From Beijing Dongzhimen Station, take bus No. 980 to Miyun City and then take a taxi to the wall (CNY 180 roundtrip). The total travel time is 2 hours.
Jinshanling. Take the subway to Dongzhimen Station. From there, a tourist bus leaves for the wall at 8:00. From Jinshanling it departs at 15:00. Ticket 50 CNY, travel time 2 hours. Prices on the page are for April 2019.