Great Wall of China, CN
Now the First Emperor of a unified China
The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic groups from the Eurasian Steppe. The first walls date to the 7th century BC; these were joined together in the Qin dynasty. The state of Qin emerged victorious in 221 BC; its ruler, now the First Emperor of a unified China, ordered the building of new walls to connect the remaining fortifications along the northern frontier. Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources; stone was used in montane areas, while rammed earth was used in the plains. The Manchus were finally able to cross the Great Wall in 1644, after Beijing had already fallen to Li Zicheng's short-lived Shun dynasty.
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Sources
- Wikidata · CC0
- Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0