Introduction to the Great Wall of China

[greatwallforum]

This thread just skims the surface of a very complex and interesting subject.

For more details, try some Great Wall history books, some Great Wall informational books, or maybe a Great Wall video.

[samflutch007]

Hi friend Thanks a lot, to give good information about the great wall. Beautiful picture to seen China's nature and Chinese people’s military defense techniques.
--------------
samflutch007

[Adam]

Hello,

I have been fascinated by the wall for a while reading about its history and such. I made a youtube video stating some interesting facts I gathered about the wall. Here is the link if you are interested,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIfUS38h6zc

Thanks

[chinoook]

Hi Adam,

Originally Posted by Adam

Hello,

I have been fascinated by the wall for a while reading about its history and such. I made a youtube video stating some interesting facts I gathered about the wall. Here is the link if you are interested,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIfUS38h6zc

Thanks

The video is nice made. Which software did you use?

It is not critics but ince this is a (the!) Great Wall forum I want to state:

• the GW is not only a "northern border". Depending on where you look it was a border with many purposes, at some places even to defend to the south
• wich wall is 6.400km long? The Ming GW?
• the number of 2-3 mio. dead labourers is a random number. Regarding all dynasties that built GW the number is probably _much_ higher
• the number of 1 mio. labourers built the GW (again: wich GW?) is by far to low
• as far as I know there is no evidence that there are any dead bodies burried in the GW. I cannot accept the people who built the GW would have weakened the structure by doing so
• it is absoulte unknown how much defense the GW actually made. There are even authors who doubt the defense success but I have never seen any estimates or any research result

-chinoook

[greatwallforum]

Hi Adam, I enjoyed your video! Thanks for joining the forum and telling us about it. The Great Wall is one of the most interesting things to see in the world. Unfortunately, photos and videos just can't do it justice since one of the most amazing aspects of the Great Wall it its gigantic scale. You just have to see it for yourself and then it takes on a whole new meaning. When are you going to go to China and experience it for yourself?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by chinoook

Hi Adam,




The video is nice made. Which software did you use?

It is not critics but ince this is a (the!) Great Wall forum I want to state:

• the GW is not only a "northern border". Depending on where you look it was a border with many purposes, at some places even to defend to the south
• wich wall is 6.400km long? The Ming GW?
• the number of 2-3 mio. dead labourers is a random number. Regarding all dynasties that built GW the number is probably _much_ higher
• the number of 1 mio. labourers built the GW (again: wich GW?) is by far to low
• as far as I know there is no evidence that there are any dead bodies burried in the GW. I cannot accept the people who built the GW would have weakened the structure by doing so
• it is absoulte unknown how much defense the GW actually made. There are even authors who doubt the defense success but I have never seen any estimates or any research result

-chinoook

Hi Chinoook

I used movie maker to make this video. I know there may be a lack of evidence for some the info that I placed in the video, I actually did place the video under entertainment only and not education. Regarding the how long it is, I was referring to the unified wall and not any one wall. I actually came across many numerical figures but choose this one, it’s the wall from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west. The dead labourers is a very rough estimate I admit, no one knows for sure, you'll find different numbers from different sources. I only placed it there as a generalized piece of information, nothing to get worked up about. The dead bodies added to rubble could be a myth, but still an interesting myth nonetheless. Also, the wall was not really that significant at defending against the enemy. The Ming dynasty were the best builders of the wall and they were defeated by the Qin dynasty (I know the wall was not the only factor in the matter but it is still a valid point). The Mongols managed to penetrate the wall as well and enter China.
Anyways, I appreciate your input. I should also add that I had no intentions by any means to offend anyone by making this video.

[chinoook]

Hi Adam,

no one has been offended by your work. As we (Bryan and I) noted it is great work.

Two states:
The Ming wall did not extend westward to the Lop nur. It ended at Jiayuguan, wich is some 700 km eastward. It also did not end at Shanhaiguan but at the Korean border. This is an offset of roughly 900 km (following the line of the Ming GW.

Of course I can not be sure there are no dead bodies inside the wall. But the guys took such an efford that I can hardly imagine the risked to weaken the structure. Though I found this:



The underlying structure is the GW. Did the bones come out of it? Whas this only a later burial close to the GW? The bones are _very_ old. I don't know.


-chinoook

[greatwallforum]

The source of the myth about people being buried in the Great Wall is the same as the source of the myth about it being visible from the moon — this Ripley's cartoon from 1932. We all know how reliable this source is. It also states that the wall was built in 15 years...

[chinoook]

But at least the bones I found were real ...


-chinoook