Much of the Great Wall standing today was built 300-600 years ago during the Ming Dynasty — mainly as a defence against the scattered armies of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, who had fled beyond the wall after being over-thrown by the Ming. Much of it is a massive wall of stone and brick, at its most magnificent between Juyongguan Pass north of Beijing and Shanhaiguan Pass near the east coast.
The construction of each section was organised from one of H fortress towns. From Liaodong in the east to Zhangve in Gansu province in the west. The total garrison numbered nearly 1 million men and even more conscripted labourers. Soldiers guarding the wall wore identity tags, and orders were inscribed on discs, or tallies, for runners to carry between sub-commanders.
Where possible, bricks and lime for building were produced in kilns alongside the site. But they still had to be carried to the high ground — mostly by men, although some donkeys were used. Huge slabs of stone were also used, some weighing about a ton. How they were hauled to the heights no one knows. Some may have been hoisted with windlasses —rope wound round a drum with a cranked handle. Cornerstones were sometimes fixed in place with iron tenons, the molten iron being poured into cut-outs in the stones.
Almost every section of the wall has an inscribed tablet naming the engineers and construction chiefs. But for the many men who died on the job, the wall itself is the only monument.
Picture Credit : Google
