30 Secrets Behind The Great Wall Of China

1. Inside the walls are secret passages and trap doors...

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Not many people realize that The Great Wall of China actually contains a LOT of secret passages and trap doors. In fact, some of them are probably still undiscovered. But those that are exposed passageways that were used to be able to move in secret and launch surprise attacks on the upcoming enemy.

2. It was built using forced labor!

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So the history behind the wall, like much of the world's history is shameful in the sense that a lot of the labor used to build the wall was forced. They often used peasants, convicts, and prisoners of war so that they could force them to build the wall and they had no choice in the matter.

3. Hidden treasures have been buried there

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There are lots of legends surrounding the wall and one of these is that the Great Wall has many hidden treasures inside. But it is true! Because there have been historical artifacts found including pieces of ancient pottery and ancient weapons which have helped us piece together parts of history.

4. Sticky rice was used to stick the wall together!

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Sticky rice isn't a building material that we would expect was used behind one of the greatest structures on earth. But it was used to bind the bricks of The Great Wall. It is stronger than lime mortar which is ordinarily used, and it's resistant to water so helped stop erosion!

5. It was built for defense

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The intention behind The Great Wall of China was to protect China from invasions at the time from the nomads. The location of the wall had been chosen very purposefully as it provided the best vantage point for the troops to be able to see who was coming from each side.

6. The Great Wall is over 2,300 years old

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The Great Wall is mega, mega old. It's around 2,300 years old which means that the wall is as old as around 9 dynasty's ago. It's super impressive that it still remains. Of course, some of the oldest parts of the wall have disappeared or been damaged by humans and the natural elements.

7. The official length stretches half of the equator!

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Most of us have no concept of the TRUE size of The Great Wall. While we all know it's big, many of us don't realize that it is 21,196.18 km long. To put it into perspective, that;'s the length of half of the equator! Sadly, around one-third of Thee Great Wall has vanished over time.

8. The Great Wall is actually poisonous

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It turns out that The Great Wall has another secret. Arsenic (which at the time was dubbed the poison of kings) was used which is highly toxic and poisonous to prevent insects or animals from eroding the walls. So the walls of The Great Wall are actually poisonous.

9. The First Emperor of Qin wasn't the first to build the wall

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Many people wrongly believe that the first emperor of China was also the first person to build the wall. But it wasn't the Emperor of Qin who first built the wall, in fact, he was the one who linked the northern walls to represent the states that he had conquered.

10. The Great Wall is not a continuous line

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When many of us picture The Great Wall we picture a continuous line of walls stretching in a straight oath. But it is not, there are parts where the wall isn't there and instead, a river or a natural element replaces it. And the great walls span off into different smaller walls and have different sections.

11. Nomads didn't try and fight at The Great Wall

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The Great Wall really did serve the purpose that it had been intended for, which of course was to protect China from the Nomads. And it partially worked, because Nomads did not choose to fight at the wall. After all, the barrier and fortifications were too huge and strong that it wasn't a wise move.

12. There were parts of The Great Wall that protected the ancient silk road

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The ancient silk road is another of China's great historical monuments. There are parts where The Great Wall and the ancient silk road meet. And so, The Great Wall actually unintentionally acted as a kind of barrier and protector for the ancient silk road.

13. There was a myth that Meng Jiang's husband's bones were buried in the wall

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Meng Jiang died whilst he was helping to build the wall, and according to legend, Meng Jiang was so distraught that a section of the wall collapsed, only to reveal the bones of her deceased husband. It is thought that this was false, however, it remains one of the biggest legends surrounding the wall.

14. During the Ming Dynasty, every worker had their name written on the brick

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What makes this more surprising is that writing on The Great Wall was absolutely not allowed, at least it wasn't allowed until the Ming Dynasty. Each worker would write the name and date on the bricks for the very purpose of showing the responsibility of the worker.

15. Many of the bricks were taken from people's homes or their farms or even reservoirs

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The Great Wall has been a consistent project, not only was it being built upon more and more for thousands of years, but in recent times the wall has been worked on to restore and maintain it. At one time, many of the bricks were from people's homes. This happened during the years 1966-1976 because of the Cultural Revolution.

16. Most of the Great Wall we see today was built during the Ming dynasty

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Despite some of the wall being thousands of years old, the majority of the wall is actually more modern as it was built during the Ming dynasty. That makes these areas of the wall around 600 years old which in relation to the ancient parts of the wall, is fairly modern.

17. The Shanhai Pass is the only section that meets the sea

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Not a single section of the wall meets the sea, apart from the Shanhai Pass which has been named as such for this very reason. This part of the wall was also built during the Ming Dynasty. And due to the amazing location of the wall, it has become famous in its own right.

18. The construction continued over many centuries

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The construction of The Great Wall started during the Qin Dynasty which was around 221-206BC as well as the Han Dynasty 206 BC-220 BC. But the construction of the wall continued until the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644. It is one of the oldest and greatest man-made works that remain today.

19. The most visited parts of the wall are around Beijing

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The most visited parts of the walls are those around Beijing. These are the areas that attract the majority of tourists on a yearly basis. But the hugest amounts of the walls actually are found in inner Mongolia. There are so many different parts to see, and it is so long, that people have to choose between areas.

20. There are 4,431 trademarks named after The Great Wall of China

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The Great Wall of China is one of the most renowned structures of all of the world. And due to its sheer size, there have been so many different historical or significant events and occurrences at different parts of the wall. So there are now over 4,431 trademarks that have been named after The Great Wall.

21. The Jiankou section is the most photographed

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When it comes to the parts of the walls that we see most in photographs or in books, the majority come from the Jiankou section of the wall. These are the parts of the wall that are the most winding and steep but they provide the best vantage points. They are also the most challenging walks.

22. Badaling is the most visited

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While that was the most photographed, it wasn't the most visited. The most visited part of the wall specifically is named Badaling. It is often found to be overcrowded with visitors because over 63,000,000 people come to visit this section of the wall each and every year!

23. The wall is protected

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Of course, such a monumental feature has been put under various protection laws to stop the wall from being damaged so that it will remain as best preserved as possible. This only happened in recent history, however. The wall has now been restored in various parts.

24. It's not visible from space

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There is a myth that The Great Wall can actually be seen from space. This myth seems to be well believed because of the sheer size of the wall people have accepted this as fact. But. it is certainly not true and it would not actually be possible to see the wall even with its giant scale, from space.

25. It has huge ecological importance

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The Wall is now more than just a symbol, it is also an ecological structure. Because it has been around for so long, and because it spans so many different lands and regions it has become a home for wildlife and nature. Some species have actually only been found in certain areas around the wall.

26. It's a cultural Symbol

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The Great Wall of course is a huge cultural symbol. It will forever be a culturally significant symbol for China and the world. But, for China, it represents unity, strength, and endurance. It has become renowned all over the world and is one of the most famous structures on the planet.

27. The Great Wall has several gates/ watchhouses

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The Great Wall isn't just made of solid brick, there are multiple entry points and checkpoints. At these weakened parts of the walls, the gates always had fortified defenses and watchtowers to ensure that enemies could not get through. These cans still be seen in part of the wall today.

28. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

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The Great Wall unsurprisingly was made a part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, meaning that it has special protections around it and it is listed as a protected structure. This is not the case for the entire wall, only certain parts and areas of the wall are listed as UNESCO.

29. It's one of the seven wonders of the world

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Even more, than being listed and protected it is also called as one of the seven wonders of the world due to not only its impressive appearance but because of the magnitude of its history as well as its cultural significance. There have been various lists, with The Great Wall always remaining one of the wonders.

30. The Great Wall is steeped in folklore

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The Great Wall is surrounded by folklore. There have been centuries of, legacies, myths, and legends that have surrounded the wall. One theory is that there were dragons carved into the walls and that the wall contain mythical creatures and supernatural forces.