Who built the Great Wall of China and why? The great Wall of China. History and legends Chinese wall how it was built

The most recognizable symbol of China, as well as its long and colorful history, has become the great Wall of China. This monumental structure consists of numerous walls and fortifications, many of which run parallel to each other. It was originally conceived to protect against nomadic raids by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (circa 259-210 BC). Great Wall of China (China) became one of the most grandiose construction projects in the history of mankind.

Great Wall of China: interesting facts

Here are the most interesting facts about the Great Wall of China:
The VKS is the longest wall in the world and the largest building of antiquity.
Stunning scenery, from the beaches of Qinhuangdao to the rocky mountains around Beijing.

Consists the great Wall of China from many sections-plots:

Badaling
Huang Huangcheng
Juyongguan
Ji Yongguang
shanhaiguan
Yangguang
Gubeika
Giancu
Jin Shang Ling
Mutianyu
Symatai
yangmenguang

And here is an interesting fact. Why are the loopholes of the Great Wall of China looking towards China? In fact, the photo shows that they look in both directions at once - that is, they were made with the expectation that you could defend yourself from both sides.

Length of the Great Wall of China in kilometers

Contrary to popular belief, the wall is not visible from space without a good approximation.
Already during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), glutinous rice dough was used for construction as a kind of material for fastening stone blocks.
The labor force at the construction site was military personnel, peasants, convicts and prisoners, naturally not of their own free will.
Although officially 8851 km, the length of all branches and sections built over thousands of years is estimated at 21,197 km. The circumference of the equator is 40,075 km.

The Great Wall of China (China): the history of creation

Significance: The longest fortification ever built by man.
The purpose of the construction: the protection of the Chinese empire from the Mongol and Manchu invaders.
Significance for tourism: the largest and at the same time the most popular attraction in China.
Provinces in which the Great Wall of China passes: Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu.
Start and End: From Shanhaiguan Pass (39.96N, 119.80E) to Jiayu Belt (39.85N, 97.54E). Distance directly - 1900 km.
Nearest section to Beijing: Juyongguan (55 km)

Most visited site: Badaling (63 million visitors in 2001)
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills. Great Wall of China, China extends from the Bohai coast, in Qinhuangdao, around the northern part of the Chinese Plain, through the Loess Plateau. Then it goes along the desert province of Gansu, between the Tibetan plateau and the loess hills of Inner Mongolia.

Altitude above sea level: from sea level to more than 500 meters.
The most suitable time of year to visit the Great Wall of China: the sites near Beijing are best visited in spring or autumn. Jiayuguan - from May to October. Shanhaiguan pass - in summer and early autumn.

The Great Wall of China is the largest cemetery. More than a million people lost their lives during its construction.

How the Great Wall of China was built

Everyone is interested How was the Great Wall of China built? structures. Here is the whole story chronologically.
7th century BC: Feudal warlords began building the Great Wall of China.
Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC): already built sections of the wall were joined together (along with the unification of China).
206 BC - 1368 AD: Rebuilding and expanding the wall to prevent nomads from plundering the land.

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644): The Great Wall of China reached its greatest extent.
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911): The Great Wall of China and surrounding lands fell to the Manchu invaders in alliance with a traitor general. Maintenance of the wall ceased for more than 300 years.
Late 20th century: Various sections of the Great Wall of China became architectural monuments.
Great Wall of China on the world map:

The Great Wall of China is also called the "Long Wall". Its length is 10 thousand li, or more than 20 thousand kilometers, and in order to reach its height, a dozen people must stand on each other's shoulders ... It is compared with a wriggling dragon stretching from the Yellow Sea itself to the Tibetan mountains. There is no other structure like it on earth.

Temple of Heaven: Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

Start of construction of the Great Wall of China

According to the official version, the construction began during the Warring States period (475-221 BC), under Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, in order to protect the state from the Xiongnu nomads' raids, and lasted ten years. About two million people built the wall, which then accounted for a fifth of the entire population of China. Among them were people of various classes - slaves, peasants, soldiers ... The commander Meng Tian supervised the construction.

Legend has it that the emperor himself rode on a magical white horse, plotting the route of the future structure. And where his horse stumbled, then they erected a watchtower ... But this is just a legend. But the story of the dispute between the Master and the official looks much more plausible.

The fact is that for the construction of such a bulk, talented craftsmen-builders were required. There were plenty of them among the Chinese. But one was especially distinguished by intelligence and ingenuity. He was so skillful in his craft that he could accurately calculate how many bricks were needed for such a construction ...

The imperial official, however, doubted the Master's ability and made a condition. If, they say, the Master is mistaken by only one brick, he himself will install this brick on the tower in honor of the craftsman. And if the mistake goes two bricks, then let him blame his arrogance - a severe punishment will follow ...

A lot of stones and bricks went into the construction. After all, besides the wall, watchtowers and gate towers also rose. There were about 25,000 of them throughout the route. So, on one of these towers, which is located near the famous ancient Silk Road, you can see a brick, which, unlike the others, protrudes noticeably from the masonry. They say that this is the same one that the Official promised to put in honor of the skilled Master. Therefore, he escaped the promised punishment.

The Great Wall of China is the longest cemetery in the world

But even without any punishment, so many people died during the construction of the Wall that the place was also called "the longest cemetery in the world." The entire construction route was strewn with the bones of the dead. In total, experts say, there are about half a million of them. The reason was poor working conditions.

According to legend, a loving wife tried to save one of these unfortunates. She hurried to him with warm clothes for the winter. Having learned on the spot about the death of her husband, Meng - that was the name of the woman - wept bitterly, and from abundant tears, her part of the wall collapsed. And then the emperor intervened. Either he was afraid that the whole Wall would crawl from women's tears, or he liked the beautiful widow in her sadness - in a word, he ordered to take her to his palace.

And she seemed to agree at first, but it turned out, only in order to be able to adequately bury her husband. And then faithful Meng committed suicide by throwing herself into a turbulent stream ... And how many such deaths have happened yet? However, is there really a record of the victims when great state affairs are being done ...

And there was no doubt that such a "fence" was an object of great national importance. According to historians, the wall did not so much protect the great "Celestial Middle Empire" from the nomads, but guarded the Chinese themselves, so that they would not run away from their dear homeland ... They say that the greatest Chinese traveler Xuanzang had to climb over the wall, stealthily, in the middle of the night, under a hail of arrows from the border guard...

From the school history course, many of us know that the Great Wall of China is the largest architectural monument. Its length is 8.851 km. The height of the grand structure varies from 6 to 10 meters, and the width varies between 5 and 8 meters.

Chinese wall on the map of China

History of the Great Wall of China

In Northern China, as early as the 3rd century BC, there were frequent clashes between the Chinese people and the Xiongnu. This period of history has been called the Warring States era.

At the same time, the construction of the Great Wall of China began. The main role assigned to the stone structure was that it had to mark the borders of the Chinese Empire, and unite the disparate provinces and regions into a single territory.

In the center of the Chinese plains, new trading posts and cities continually arose. And the neighboring peoples, warring among themselves and with others, robbed and ruined them with enviable regularity. In the construction of the wall, the rulers of that era saw the solution to this problem.

During the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty, it was decided to throw all their efforts into continuing the construction of the wall. Most of the population, and even the emperor's army, participated in this large-scale historical project.

The Chinese wall was built during the reign of this emperor for 10 years. Slaves, peasants, middle-class people gave their lives to build a structure of clay and stone. The construction work itself was complicated by the lack of entrances and roads to some construction sites. People experienced shortages of drinking water and food, died from epidemics without doctors and healers. But construction work did not stop.

At first, the wall was built by 300 thousand people. But at the end of its construction, the number of workers reached 2 million. There were many legends and tales around the Chinese Wall. One day, Emperor Qin was informed that the construction of the wall would stop after the death of a man named Wano. The emperor ordered to find such a person and kill him. The poor worker was walled up in the base of the wall. But construction continued for a very long time.

The Wall of China divides China into a south of farmers and a north of nomads. During the reign of the Ming Dynasty, the wall was reinforced with bricks, and watchtowers were erected on it. Under the Wanli Emperor, many parts of the wall were rebuilt or rebuilt. People called this wall the “earth dragon”. Because its foundations were high earthen mounds. And its colors corresponded to such a name.

The Great Wall of China begins in the city of Shanghai-guan, one of its sections passes near Beijing, and ends in the city of Jiayu-guan. This wall in China is not only a national treasure, but also a real cemetery. The bones of people buried there are still found today.

As a defense structure, this wall showed itself not from the best side. Its empty sections could not stop the enemy. And for those places that were guarded by people, its height was not enough to repel attacks with high quality. Its small height could not fully protect the area from barbarian raids. And the width of the structure was clearly not enough to place on it a sufficient number of soldiers capable of fully fighting.

Senseless for defense, but useful for trade, the wall continued to be built. For its construction, people were forcibly taken to work. Families broke up, men lost their wives and children, and mothers lost their sons. They could be sent to the wall for the slightest offense. To recruit people there, special calls were made, similar to how soldiers are recruited for the army. People grumbled, sometimes riots were organized, which were suppressed by the army of the emperor. The last rebellion was the last. After all, after him, the reign of the Ming dynasty came to an end, and construction stopped.

The current Chinese government has introduced a number of fines for damaging landmarks. This had to be done due to the fact that many tourists sought to take a piece of the Chinese wall with them. And the natural processes of its destruction only accelerated from such barbaric actions. Although in the 70s it was proposed to destroy the wall on purpose. Due to the then political outlook, the wall was perceived as a relic of the past.

What was the Great Wall made of?

Before the reign of the Qin Dynasty, primitive building materials were used for the wall: clay, earth, pebbles. After this period, they began to build from bricks baked in the sun. And also from large boulders. Building materials were taken from the same place where the construction took place. The stone mortar was made from rice flour. This gluten reliably fastened lumps of various shapes to each other.

The Chinese wall was even used as a road. Its structure is heterogeneous. It has a different height, borders on mountain gorges and hills. The height of its steps in some places reaches 30 cm. Other steps are only 5 cm high. Climbing the Chinese Wall is quite convenient, but descending can be a risky adventure. And all because of such a device steps.

Many tourists who visited the wall noted this feature of it. It would seem that there is nothing easier than going down the stairs. But the paradox is that going down steps of different heights takes more time than going up them.

The attitude of the Chinese to this building

During different periods of construction and reconstruction of the wall, people raised uprisings, as their forces were running out. The guards easily passed the enemy through the wall. And in some places they willingly took bribes so as not to lose their lives during the raids of opponents.

People raised riots, not wanting to build a useless structure. Today in China, the wall is given a completely different meaning. Despite all the failures, difficulties and failures that arose during construction, the wall is considered a symbol of the resilience of the Chinese people.

Modern Chinese people treat the wall in different ways. Someone feels awe at the sight of her, someone can easily throw garbage near this attraction. Most have a moderate interest in it. But the Chinese go on group excursions to the wall just as willingly as foreign tourists.

Mao Zedong wrote in his book that one who has not visited the Great Wall cannot call himself a true Chinese. On small sections of the wall, marathons of runners are organized annually, excursions are held, research and reconstruction are carried out.

Chinese wall: facts, myths and beliefs

Among the abundance of information about the main Chinese attraction, the myth that the Chinese Wall is visible even from the moon is quite popular. In fact, this myth has long been debunked. Not a single astronaut has been able to clearly see this wall either from the orbital station or from the night satellite of the earth.

In 1754, the first mention appeared that the Great Wall of China is so large that it is the only one visible from the moon. But the astronauts did not manage to see this structure of stones and earth in the pictures.

In 2001, Neil Armstrong also denied rumors that the Wall of China could be seen from Earth's orbit. He stated that none of the other astronauts could clearly see this design on Chinese territory.

In addition to disputes about the visibility of the wall from orbit, there are many rumors and legends around this attraction. The terrible legend that the building mortar was mixed from crushed human bones was also not confirmed. Rice flour served as the basis for the solution.

Another myth says that when a farmer died while building the wall, his wife cried on it for so long that part of the structure collapsed, revealing the remains of the deceased. And the woman was able to bury her husband with all honors.

There were various rumors about the construction of this facility. Some claimed that a real fire-breathing dragon helped people lay a track for the wall, which melted the space with its flame to facilitate construction work on it.

Among other things, there is a legend about the construction itself. It says that when the chief architect was approached and asked how many bricks to make. He named the number "999999". After the construction work was completed, one brick remained, and the cunning architect ordered it to be mounted above one of the entrances to the watchtower to attract good luck. And he pretended that everything was meant to be.

Consider reliable facts about the Great Wall of China:

The object is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List;
Some sections of the wall were destroyed by contemporaries, because there was a need for places for new construction;
This man-made structure is the longest in the world;
The attraction is not classified as a wonder of the Ancient World;
Another name for the Wall of China is the "Purple Border";
For the entire world community, the wall was opened in 1605 by the European Bento de Gois;
In addition to protective functions, the design was used to introduce state duties, control the migration of peoples and record foreign trade;
Many famous politicians and actors have visited this attraction;
The guard posts of the wall were used as beacons;
Even today, night and evening excursions are organized on the wall;
This structure can be climbed on foot and by funicular;
In 2004, 41.8 million foreign tourists visited the wall;
A simple wheelbarrow, commonly used at the construction site, was invented while building the wall;
The final battle on this structure took place in 1938 between the Chinese and the Japanese;
The highest point of the wall is located near the city of Beijing, 5000 meters above sea level;
This object is the most popular tourism destination in China;
The construction of the legendary wall was completed in 1644.

Maintaining such a huge architectural object in a presentable form is almost impossible. What influences the Great Wall of China today?

Why is the legacy of the ancestors destroyed?

For three consecutive imperial "kingdoms" in a row, the Chinese Wall was built and rebuilt several times. It was erected during the reign of the Qin, Han and Ming dynasties. Each dynasty brought something new to the appearance of the structure, giving the construction of the structure a new meaning. Construction was completed during the Ming era. The construction of the wall was one of the reasons for a large-scale uprising, during which the last representative of the dynasty was overthrown from the throne.

Today, even modern building technologies and innovations cannot stop the destruction of a huge structure. Some sections of the wall collapse on their own due to exposure to rain, sun, winds and time.

Others are dismantled by local residents to use the materials to build villages. Tourists also damage the wall. Often there are segments of the wall painted with graffiti. Stones and other parts are pulled out of the structure.

In addition, some segments of the Great Wall of China are located so far from cities and towns that there is simply no one to monitor their condition. And the costly business for the economy does not fit into the modern Chinese budget.

The Great Wall gives the impression of a structure organically inscribed in the landscape. It seems to merge with the trees, hills and steppes around, without disturbing the beauty of the places where it lies. Her colors are shades of earth and sand. When viewed from the side, it seems that the structure, like a chameleon, adapts to all the shades of greenery around, and dissolves among the woody palettes of the local vegetation.

This attraction has many channels and branches. Her story is full of secrets, tragedies and mysteries. And the design itself is not distinguished by engineering refinements. But the meaning that is embedded in this symbol today allows us to say that the Chinese people know no equal in work and perseverance. Indeed, for the construction of this structure, it took millennia and millions of human hands, erecting a wall stone by stone.

The visiting card of the Celestial Empire - the Great Wall of China - has been under the protection of UNESCO since 1987 as a historical heritage of the whole world. According to the decision of the public, it is considered one of the new wonders of the world. There is no other defensive structure of this length on the planet.

Parameters and architecture of the "wonder of the world"

Contemporaries calculated the length of the grandiose Chinese fence. Taking into account the sections that have not been preserved, it is 21,196 km. According to some studies, 4000 km have been preserved, others give a figure - 2450 km, if you connect the starting and ending points of the ancient wall with a straight line.

In some places, its thickness and height reaches 5 m, in others it grows up to 9–10 m. Rectangles of 1.5-meter battlements complement the wall from the outside. The widest section of the wall reaches 9 m, the highest from the ground is 7.92 m.

Real fortresses were built at the outposts. On the most ancient sections of the wall, every 200 m of fences there are towers made of bricks or stones of the same style. They contain platforms for observation and loopholes with rooms for storing weapons. The farther from Beijing, the more common towers of other architectural styles.

Many of them have signal towers without interior spaces. From them, sentinels kindled a fire, signaling danger. For that time it was the fastest way to warn. According to legend, during the reign of the Tang clan, women were planted as sentinels on the towers, who were deprived of their legs so that they would not leave the post without permission.

"The longest cemetery in the world"

The beginning of the construction of a grandiose Chinese structure dates back to the 7th century BC, the end - to the 17th century. According to historians, at least 10 rulers of small Chinese provinces made efforts to build it. They fenced their possessions with high mounds of earth.

Qin Shi Huang united the lands of small principalities into a single empire, ending the two-hundred-year era of the Warring States. With the help of defensive fortifications, he decided to ensure reliable protection of the state from the raids of nomads, especially the Huns. He ruled China from 246-210 BC. In addition to defense, the wall fixed the borders of the state.

According to legend, the idea was born after the prediction of the court soothsayer about the destruction of the country by nomads who would come from the north. Therefore, they originally planned to build a wall on the northern borders of the country, but then continued to build in the west, turning China into an almost impregnable possession.

According to legend, the direction and place of the construction of the wall was indicated to the emperor by a dragon. In his footsteps, the border was laid. Some researchers claim that the view of the wall from above resembles a soaring dragon.

Qin Shi Huang appointed the most successful general Meng Tian to lead the work. Combining the already existing earthen ramparts, they were strengthened and completed by more than half a million slaves, peasants, prisoners of war and prisoners. The emperor was an opponent of the teachings of Confucius, so he shackled all the Confucian scientists and sent them to the construction site.

One of the legends says that he ordered them to be immured in the wall as a sacrifice to the spirits. But archaeologists have not found confirmation of the rituality of single burials found in the towers. Another legend tells of a farmer's wife, Meng Jiang, who brought clothes to her husband, who was mobilized to work on a construction site. But by then he had died. No one could say where he was buried.

The woman lay down against the wall and cried for a long time until a stone fell out, revealing the remains of her husband. Meng Jiang brought them to her native province and buried them in the family cemetery. It is possible that workers who participated in the construction were buried in the wall. Therefore, the people called it the "wall of tears."

A two-millennium building

The wall was completed and rebuilt in parts, from various materials - earth, brick, stones. Active construction was continued in 206-220 by the Han emperors. They were forced to strengthen the defense of China from the raids of the Huns. Earth ramparts were strengthened with stones to protect them from destruction by nomads. All the rulers of China monitored the safety of defensive structures, except for the emperors of the Mongolian Yuan clan.

Most of the grandiose structures that have survived to the present day were built by the emperors of the Ming family, who ruled China in 1368-1644. They were actively engaged in the construction of new fortifications and the repair of defensive structures, because the new capital of the state - Beijing - was only 70 kilometers away, so the high walls were a guarantor of its security.

During the reign of the Manchu Qing clan, the defensive structures lost their relevance, because the northern lands were under its control. They stopped paying attention to the grandiose structure, the wall began to collapse. Its restoration began at the direction of Mao Zedong in the 50s of the twentieth century. But during the "cultural revolution" most of it was destroyed by opponents of ancient art.

The name of the "Chinese" wall

On the map of Asia of the 18th century, made by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam, two geographical formations are indicated: from the north - Tartaria (Tartarie), from the south - China (Chine), the northern border of which runs approximately along the 40th parallel, that is, exactly along "Chinese" wall. On this map, the wall is marked with a thick line and signed "Muraille de la Chine", now often translated from French as "Chinese Wall". However, literally we have the following: muraille "wall" in a nominal construction with the preposition de (noun + preposition de + noun) la Chine expresses the object and its belonging, that is, "the wall of China".

But in other variants of the same construction we find other meanings of the phrase "Muraille de la Chine". For example, if it denotes an object and its name, then we get the “wall of China” (similarly, for example, place de la Concorde - Concorde Square), that is, a wall not built by China, but named after him - the reason for the formation was the presence next to wall of China. We find a refinement of this position in another version of the same construction, that is, if “Muraille de la Chine” denotes an action and the object to which it is directed, then it is “a wall (from) China”. We get the same with another version of the translation of the same construction - the object and its location (similarly, appartement de la rue de Grenelle - an apartment on Grenelle Street), that is, "a wall (neighboring) with China." The causal construction allows us to translate the phrase "Muraille de la Chine" literally as "wall from China" (similarly, for example, rouge de fièvre - red with heat, pâle de colère - pale with anger).

Compare, in an apartment or in a house, we call the wall that separates us from our neighbors, the neighbor's wall, and the wall that separates us from the outside, the outer wall. We have the same thing with the name of the borders: the Finnish border, “on the Chinese border”, “on the Lithuanian border”. And all these borders were built not by the states whose names they are named, but by the state (Russia), which is defending itself from the named states. In this case, the adjectives indicate only the geographical location of the Russian borders.

In this way, the phrase "Muraille de la Chine" should be translated as "wall from China", "wall that delimits from China".

Images of the "Chinese" wall on the maps

Cartographers of the 18th century depicted on maps only those objects that were related to the political delimitation of countries. On the mentioned map of Asia of the 18th century, the border between Tartaria (Tartarie) and China (Chine) runs along the 40th parallel, that is, exactly along the "Chinese" wall. On the map of 1754 "Carte de l "Asie", the "Chinese" wall also runs along the border between Great Tartary and China. The academic 10-volume World History presents a map of the Qing Empire of the second half of the 17th - 18th centuries, on which the "Chinese" wall is depicted in detail, passing exactly along the border between Russia and China.

Time of construction of the "Chinese" wall

According to Chinese scientists, the construction of the Great "Chinese" wall began in 246 BC. Emperor Shi-Hoangti. The height of the wall is from 6 to 7 meters.

Rice. Sections of the "Chinese" wall built at different times (data from Chinese researchers).

L.N. Gumilyov wrote: The wall stretched for 4 thousand km. Its height reached 10 meters, and watch towers rose every 60 - 100 meters.". The purpose of its construction is protection from northern nomads. However, the wall was built only by 1620 AD, that is, after 1866 years, clearly overdue for compliance with the goal declared at the start of construction.

It is known from European experience that ancient walls, more than a few hundred years old, are not repaired, but rebuilt - due to the fact that both the materials and the building itself become tired over a longer time and simply fall apart. So, many military fortifications in Russia were rebuilt in the 16th century. But representatives of China continue to assert that the "Chinese" wall was built exactly 2000 years ago and now appears before us in the same, original form.

L.N. Gumilyov also wrote:

“When the work was completed, it turned out that all the armed forces of China were not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall. In fact, if a small detachment is placed on each tower, then the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and give help. If, however, large detachments are spaced less often, then gaps are formed through which the enemy will easily and imperceptibly penetrate deep into the country. A fortress without defenders is not a fortress."

But let's use Chinese dating and see who and against whom built different sections of the wall.

Early Iron Age

It is extremely interesting to trace the stages of the construction of the "Chinese" wall, based on the data of Chinese scientists. It can be seen from them that Chinese scientists who call the wall “Chinese” are not very concerned about the fact that the Chinese people themselves did not take any part in its construction: every time the next section of the wall was built, the Chinese state was far from the construction sites.

So, the first and main part of the wall was built in the period from 445 BC. to 222 BC It runs along 41 ° - 42 ° north latitude and simultaneously along some sections of the river. Huanghe.

At that time, of course, there were no Mongol-Tatars. Moreover, the first unification of peoples within China took place only in 221 BC. under the reign of Qin. And before that, there was the Zhangguo period (5th - 3rd centuries BC), in which eight states existed on the territory of China. Only in the middle of the 4th c. BC. Qin began to fight against other kingdoms and by 221 BC. e. conquered some of them.

Rice. Sections of the "Chinese" wall by the beginning of the creation of the state of Qin (by 222 BC).

The figure shows that the western and northern border of the state of Qin by 221 BC. began to coincide with that section of the "Chinese" wall, which began to be built as early as 445 BC. and was built precisely in 222 BC.

Rice. Sections of the "Chinese" wall in the first five years of the state of Qin (221 - 206 BC).

Thus, we see that this section of the “Chinese” wall was built not by the Chinese of the Qin state, but by the northern neighbors, but precisely from the Chinese spreading to the north. In just 5 years - from 221 to 206. BC. - a wall was built along the entire border of the state of Qin, which stopped the spread of his subjects to the north and west. In addition, at the same time, 100 - 200 km west and north of the first, the second line of defense from Qin was built - the second "Chinese" wall of this period.

Rice. Sections of the "Chinese" wall in the Han era (206 BC - 220 AD).

The next period of construction covers the time from 206 BC. to 220 AD During this period, sections of the wall were built, located 500 km to the west and 100 km to the north of the previous ones.

Early Middle Ages

In 386 - 535 years. 17 non-Chinese kingdoms that existed in northern China united into one state - Northern Wei.

Their forces and it was during this period that the next part of the wall was erected (386 - 576), one part of which was built along the previous section (probably destroyed by time), and the second part - 50 - 100 km to the south - along the border with China.

Developed Middle Ages

In the period from 618 to 907. China was ruled by the Tang dynasty, which did not mark itself as victorious over its northern neighbors.

Rice. Sections of the "Chinese" wall, built by the beginning of the Tang Dynasty.

In the next period, from 960 to 1279. The Song Empire was established in China. At this time, China lost dominance over its vassals in the west, in the northeast (on the territory of the Korean Peninsula) and in the South - in northern Vietnam. The Sung empire lost a significant part of the territories of the Chinese proper in the north and northwest, which went to the Khitan state of Liao (part of the modern provinces of Hebei and Shanxi), the Tangut kingdom of Xi-Xia (part of the territories of modern Shaanxi province, the entire territory of modern Gansu province and Ningxia Hui autonomous region).

Rice. Sections of the "Chinese" wall, built during the reign of the Song Dynasty.

In 1125, the border between the non-Chinese kingdom of the Jurchens and China passed along the river. Huaihe is 500 - 700 km south of the places where the wall was built. And in 1141, a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Chinese Sung Empire recognized itself as a vassal of the non-Chinese state of Jin, pledging to pay him a large tribute.

However, while China itself huddled south of the river. Hunahe, in 2100 - 2500 km north of its borders, another section of the "Chinese" wall was erected. This part of the wall, built from 1066 to 1234, runs through Russian territory north of the village of Borzya near the river. Argun. At the same time, another section of the wall was built 1500-2000 km north of China, along the Greater Khingan.

Late Middle Ages

The next section of the wall was built between 1366 and 1644. It runs along the 40th parallel from Andong (40°), just north of Beijing (40°), through Yinchuan (39°) to Dunhuang and Anxi (40°) in the west. This section of the wall is the last, southernmost and the deepest penetrating into the territory of China.

Rice. Sections of the "Chinese" wall built during the reign of the Ming Dynasty.

In China at this time, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) ruled. At the beginning of the 15th century, this dynasty pursued not a defensive policy, but an external expansion. So, for example, in 1407, Chinese troops captured Vietnam, that is, territories located outside the eastern section of the "Chinese" wall, built in 1368-1644. In 1618, Russia managed to negotiate a border with China (I. Petlin's mission).

During the construction of this section of the wall, the entire Amur region belonged to Russian territories. By the middle of the 17th century, on both banks of the Amur, there were already Russian fortresses-prisons (Albazinsky, Kumarsky, etc.), peasant settlements and arable lands. In 1656, the Daurskoe (later Albazinskoe) voivodship was formed, which included the valleys of the Upper and Middle Amur along both banks.

On the Chinese side, since 1644, the Qing dynasty began to rule in China. In the 17th century, the border of the Qing Empire passed just north of the Liaodong Peninsula, that is, exactly along this section of the "Chinese" wall (1366 - 1644).

In the 1650s and later, the Qing Empire attempted to seize Russian possessions in the Amur basin by military force. Christians also took the side of China. China demanded not only the entire Amur region, but all the lands east of the Lena. As a result, according to the Nerchinsk Treaty (1689), Russia was forced to cede to the Qing Empire its possessions on the right bank of the river. Argun and parts of the left and right banks of the Amur.

Thus, during the construction of the last section of the "Chinese" wall (1368 - 1644), it was the Chinese side (Ming and Qing) that waged wars of conquest against Russian lands. Therefore, Russia was forced to wage defensive border wars with China (see S. M. Solovyov, "The History of Russia from Ancient Times", Volume 12, Chapter 5).

Built by the Russians by 1644, the "Chinese" wall ran exactly along the border of Russia with Qing China. In the 1650s, Qing China invaded Russian lands to a depth of 1,500 km, which was confirmed by the Aigun (1858) and Beijing (1860) treaties.

conclusions

From the above, we can draw the following conclusions:

The name "Chinese" wall means "a wall delimiting from China" (similar to how the Chinese border, the Finnish border, etc.).
At the same time, the origin of the word "China" itself comes from the Russian "whale" - knitting poles that were used in the construction of fortifications; so, the name of the Moscow district "Kitai-gorod" was given in a similar way back in the 16th century (that is, before the official knowledge of China), the building itself consisted of a stone wall with 13 towers and 6 gates;
The time of the construction of the "Chinese" wall is divided into several stages, in which:
- The non-Chinese began building the first section in 445 BC, and, having built it by 221 BC, stopped the advance of the Qin Chinese to the north and west;
- The second section was erected by non-Chinese from Northern Wei between 386 and 576;
- The third site was built by non-Chinese between 1066 and 1234. two thresholds: one at 2100 - 2500 km, and the second - at 1500 - 2000 km north of the borders of China, passing at that time along the river. Huang He;
- The fourth and last section was built by the Russians between 1366 and 1644. along the 40th parallel - the southernmost section - it represented the border between Russia and China of the Qing dynasty.
In the 1650s and later, the Qing Empire seized Russian possessions in the Amur basin. The "Chinese" wall was inside the territory of China.
All of the above is confirmed by the fact that the loopholes of the "Chinese" wall look to the south - that is, to the Chinese.
The "Chinese" wall was built by Russian settlers on the Amur and in Northern China to protect against the Chinese.

Old Russian style in the architecture of the Chinese wall

In 2008, at the First International Congress "Pre-Cyrillic Slavic Writing and Pre-Christian Slavic Culture" at the Leningrad State University named after A.S. Pushkin (St. Petersburg), a report was made “China is the younger brother of Russia”, in which fragments of Neolithic ceramics from the territory of the eastern part of Northern China were presented. It turned out that the signs depicted on the ceramics have nothing to do with the Chinese "hieroglyphs", but they reveal almost complete coincidence with the ancient Russian runic - up to 80% [ Tyunyaev, 2008].

In another article - "In the Neolithic, Northern China was inhabited by Russians" - based on the latest archaeological data, it is shown that in the Neolithic and Bronze Age the population of the western part of Northern China was not Mongoloid, but Caucasoid. The data of genetics made a clarification: this population was of Old Russian origin and had the Old Russian haplogroup R1a1 [ Tyunyaev, 2010a]. Mythological data say that the movements of the ancient Rus in the east were headed by Bogumir and Slavunya and their son Scyth [ Tyunyaev, 2010]. These events are reflected in the Book of Veles, whose people in the 1st millennium BC. partially moved to the west Tyunyaev, 2010b].

In the work “The Chinese wall is a great barrier from the Chinese”, we came to the conclusion that all sections of the Chinese wall were erected by non-Chinese, since there were simply no Chinese at the time of construction in the places where the wall was being built. In addition, the last section of the wall was most likely built by the Russians between 1366 and 1644. along the 40th parallel. This is the southernmost area. And it represented the official border between Russia and China under the rule of the Qing dynasty. That is why the name "Chinese wall" literally means "the wall delimiting from China" and has the same meaning as "Chinese border", "Finnish border", etc.

Rice. 1. Sections of the "Chinese" wall, built during the reign of the Ming Dynasty.

In 1644, the Manchurian army captured Beijing, and the period of the Qing Dynasty began. In the 17th century, the border of the Qing Empire was located just north of the Liaodong Peninsula, that is, exactly along the section of the "Chinese" wall created in the 14-17th centuries. The Qing Empire came into conflict with Russia and tried to seize Russian possessions in the Amur River basin by military force. The Chinese demanded to transfer to them not only the lands of the entire Amur region, but also the territories east of the Lena River. The Qing Empire was able to capture part of the Russian possessions in the Amur basin. As a result of Chinese expansion, the so-called. The "Chinese" wall was inside the territory of modern China. Thus, it is clear that the Great Wall (often just a rampart) was created by no means by the Chinese, but by their northern opponents from the time of the late Iron Age (5-3 centuries BC) until the time of the Qin Empire and Russia in the middle of the 17th century. It is clear that further large-scale studies are needed to confirm this fact. But it is already becoming more and more obvious that the modern historical myth, which has been hammered into our heads almost from the time of the cradle, has little in common with the true history of Russia and mankind. The ancestors of the Russian people from ancient times inhabited vast territories from Central Europe to the expanses of Siberia and the lands of modern Northern China.

In the article "Old Russian Style in the Architecture of the Chinese Wall" Andrey Tyunyaev made several more noteworthy conclusions. Firstly, the towers of the ancient Russian fortresses-kremlin and fortress walls on the one hand and the towers of the Great Wall (the last section of the wall built during the Ming Empire) on the other, were created, if not in a single, then in very much the same architectural style. For example, the towers of European castles and fortress walls on the one hand and the fortifications of Russia and the "Chinese" wall on the other are completely different. Secondly, two types of fortifications can be distinguished on the territory of modern China: “northern” and “southern”. The northern type of fortification is designed for long-term defense, the towers provide maximum opportunities for fighting. It can be concluded that the battles on this line of fortifications were of a strategic nature and were fought between completely alien cultures. For example, it is known that the early Chinese kingdoms practiced mass sacrifices of captives. For the "northern barbarians" surrender was an unacceptable step. The southern type of fortifications was of a tactical nature and, apparently, was built in lands that had long been mastered by Chinese civilization. Often, during the seizures, only the ruling dynasty was replaced, the bulk of the population did not suffer at the same time. Therefore, fortifications can actually be decorative, or designed for a short-term siege. Towers and walls of fortresses do not have a developed system of defensive combat. Thus, the architecture of the defensive structures confirms the presence of two powerful cultures on the territory of modern China: southern and northern. The northern civilization was in the lead for a long time, gave the south the ruling dynasties, the military elite, advanced achievements of spiritual and material culture. But in the end, the South prevailed.

1. Features of medieval defensive towers

Hence the architectural style of the Chinese Wall, which captured with its striking features the handprints of its true builders. Elements of the wall and towers, similar to fragments of the Chinese Wall, in the Middle Ages we find only in the architecture of ancient Russian defensive structures in the central regions of Russia.

On fig. 1.1 two towers are presented - from the Chinese wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. As can be seen from the comparison, the shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed upwards. From the wall inside both towers, there is an entrance covered by a round arch made of the same brick as the wall with the tower. Each of the towers has two upper "working" floors. Round-arched windows were made in the first floor of both towers. In the presented "Chinese" tower, the first floor is located on the same level as the entrance, therefore, the place of one of the windows is occupied by the entrance opening. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130 - 160 cm.

On the top, second floor are loopholes . They are made in the form of rectangular narrow grooves, approximately 35 - 45 cm wide (judging by the photo). The number of such loopholes in the "Chinese" tower is 3 in depth and 4 in width, and in Novgorod - 4 in depth and 5 in width.

On the top floor of the “Chinese” tower, there are square holes along its very edge. There are similar holes in the Novgorod tower, and the ends stick out of them. rafters on which the wooden roof rests. This design of the roof and rafters is now common.

On fig. 1.2 shows the same "Chinese" tower. But another tower of the Novgorod Kremlin, which on the upper floor has 3 loopholes in depth, like the “Chinese”, but 5 loopholes in width (the “Chinese” has 4). The arched openings of the lower floors are almost identical.

On fig. 1.3 on the left is the same "Chinese" tower, and on the right is the tower of the Tula Kremlin. Now the "Chinese" and Tula towers have the same number of loopholes in width - 4 each. And the same number of arched openings - 4 each. On the upper floor, between the large loopholes, there are small ones - both at the "Chinese" and Tula towers. The shape of the towers is still the same. In the Tula tower, as in the "Chinese", white stone is used. The arches are made in the same way: at the Tula one - the gate, at the "Chinese" one - the entrances.

On fig. 1.4 shows two more towers - on the left "Chinese" (photo 1907) and on the right of the Novgorod Kremlin. The design features are the same as above. At the "Chinese" tower between the floors, two fragments protrude from the wall, perhaps these are logs on which the ceiling between the floors was built (similar to the rafters that we mentioned above). The tower of the Novgorod Kremlin, among other things, has a protruding brick belt. It is similar to the same belt at the "Chinese" towers, but is located one floor lower.

The same photograph from 1907 also shows another tower (see Fig. 1.5). It has only a floor with arched openings - 3 openings on each side. The tower of the Zaraisk Kremlin also has only a floor with arched openings (4 on each side). On fig. 1.6 shows "Chinese" towers with different features, in fig. 1.7 presents Russian counterparts.

Rice. 1.7. Russian towers: on the left - the Nikolsky Gate (Smolensk, photo by Pogudin-Gorsky); in the center - the northern fortress wall of the Nikitsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky, 16th century); on the right - a tower in Suzdal (mid-17th century).

As can be seen from the presented materials, the design features of the towers of the Chinese Wall reveal almost exact analogies among the towers of Russian Kremlins.

2. Comparison of the architectural features of the medieval towers of Europe, Asia and the Chinese wall

Some researchers argue that in terms of their architectural features, the towers of the Chinese Wall are more similar to the towers of European defensive structures. For comparison, here are some photographs of towers from different countries of Europe and Asia.

On fig. 2.1 shows two fortress walls - the Spanish city of Avila and the Chinese city of Beijing. As you can see, they are similar to each other. Especially in the fact that the towers are located very often and practically do not have any architectural adaptations for military needs. Peking towers are especially primitive. They have only an upper deck with loopholes. Moreover, the Beijing towers are laid out at the same height with the rest of the wall. Neither the Spanish towers nor the Peking ones show such a high resemblance to the towers of the Chinese wall, as the towers of Russian kremlins and fortress walls show.

Presented in fig. 2.2, the variants of the towers of European fortress walls clearly show that the architectural tradition of defensive structures in Europe was very different from the tradition of building both ancient Russian fortifications (kremlin) and the Chinese wall. European towers and walls are much thinner, the towers are practically deaf and not adapted for a large number of armed people to actively fire from their territory.

Rice. 2.3. Asian towers (from left to right): Liaoyang tower (China); fortress wall Ark; fortress wall and tower (Baku); tower and ramparts of the Red Fort (Delhi).

On fig. 2.3 shows variants of Asian towers. None of them has anything to do with the towers of the Chinese wall, even the Chinese - Liaoyang tower.

All presented variants of fortress towers can be divided into two large streams and the following conclusions can be drawn:

The first stream is the towers of ancient Russian kremlins and fortress walls on the one hand and the towers of the Chinese Wall on the other. The towers of this stream are made, if not in a single, then in almost the same architectural tradition.
The second stream is the towers of European castles and fortress walls on one side and the towers of the eastern defensive structures. The towers of this stream also show some similarities among themselves, but they are absolutely different from both the ancient Russian fortress towers and the towers of the Chinese Wall.
The differences between the architectural features of the towers of these two streams are so distinct that they allow us to speak of the existence of two traditions: let's conditionally call them "northern" and "southern".
The northern tradition of building fortress towers indicates that these towers, like structures in general, were built with the expectation of conducting long defensive battles, in which the architectural features of the towers provided the defenders with maximum opportunities for combat. The structure of these structures also indicates that the clashes on this defensive line were of a strategic nature and took place between two populations of purely unrelated human species, when the conclusion of a tactical peace was impossible due to the subsequent complete extermination of the defenders by the attackers.
The southern tradition says more that the southern fortifications were of tactical importance and were located inside territories inhabited by the same type of person, and separated only the possessions of one nobleman from the possessions of another. During the capture, the civilian population did not always suffer at the hands of the conquerors, therefore, as we know from history, there were frequent surrenders of fortresses without a fight and without serious consequences. Therefore, most of the southern towers and walls have a tactical or even semi-decorative purpose (such as a fence). The towers and walls of such fortresses do not have a developed structure for defensive combat. Even with a large thickness and height of the walls, as, for example, at the Beijing city wall, its defensive purpose is rather more passive.
Comparison of these two streams may indicate that there were two massive civilizations of antiquity: northern and southern. The Kremlin and the Chinese Wall were built by northern civilization. The fact that the walls of the buildings of the northern civilization are better suited for combat suggests that in most cases the aggressors were representatives of the southern civilization.

Literature:

Solovyov, 1879. Solovyov S.M., History of Russia since ancient times, volume 12, chapter 5. 1851 - 1879.
Tyunyaev, 2008.
Tyunyaev, 2010. Tyunyaev A.A. Ancient Russia, Svarog and Svarog's grandchildren // Studies of Old Russian mythology. - M.: 2010.
Tyunyaev, 2010a. Tyunyaev. In the Neolithic, Northern China was inhabited by Russians.
Tyunyaev, 2010b. About the journey of the people of VK.