The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen walls in China, built, rebuilt and had been maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern boundaries of the Chinese Empire from Xiongnu attacks during the rule of following dynasties. Several walls, better known as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC. The most famous is the Qin Shi Huang wall, which was built between 220–200 BC by the first Emperor of China. Little of its remnants could be seen today. It was much farther north than the current wall built during the Ming Dynasty.
The Great Wall stretches over approximately 6,400 km from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west. But the wall stretches to over 6,700 km in total. At its peak, the Ming Wall was guarded by more than one million men. It has been estimated that somewhere in between the time period taken to the centuries-long project of building the wall, 2 to 3 million Chinese died.
Notable areas of the Great Wall of China, China
- "North Pass" of Juyongguan pass, which is also known as the Badaling.
- "West Pass" of Jiayuguan, which is a fort near the western edges of the Great Wall.
- "Pass" of Shanhaiguan, which is also a fort near the eastern edges of the Great Wall.
- Wangjinglou is one of Jinshanling's 67 watchtowers, 980 meters (3,215 ft) above sea level.