Many people only think of the Great Wall of China as a great, scenic tourist attraction or as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Although these are all true, the Great Wall is much more than that. Not only is it symbolic to China and its people, the Great Wall is also considered one of the greatest engineering masterpieces completed. However, its important purpose and contributions have made it even more widely known to the world for centuries to come.
The Great Wall of China was first built over two thousand years ago by the first emperor of both the Chin dynasty and China, Shi Huangdi. Its purpose at the time was to drive and keep out the barbaric Northern tribes of Mongols and Huns who regularly attacked and raided Chinese farms and cities near the border. Shi Huangdi appointed General Meng Tien in charge of the construction of the Great Wall as well as over a million slaves, workers and prisoners of war to help build it.
English: A map of the great wall of china of Han D...
English: The Great Wall of China, near Beijing in ...
English: Great Wall of China near Jinshanling Pols...The majority of the building took over hundreds of years in which the original lords and workers had long since died. In fact, during this time, the Chin dynasty had also given way to the Han dynasty and its own set of emperors. However, in the first decade, Meng Tien and his men first began building from the south of the Yellow river. The main materials used during the time were simple stones and mud raised on strong frames since bricks had not been discovered yet. One popular belief is that the amount of stones that contributes to the Wall is equal to the amount of workersÃÂ lives was lost during its construction. Most of the workers died of exhaustion and starvation from the harsh conditions of the North as...