The Great Wall of China

Despite the belief in the First Emperor as architect of the Great Wall, many scholars now think that only large sections of what would later become a continuous wall were built at this time and older sections repaired and connected. As difficult as it may be to imagine, history is not necessarily set in stone and inside the ivy covered towers of academia, historians love to debate these issues.

The Ch'in Dynasty lasted only until 220 A.D., and during the succeeding dynasties and periods of disunity, the Wall went through many stages of both neglect and restoration. The most complete and enduring restoration occurred during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when every chink in the armor was filled in against the continuing threat from northern barbarians. This tendency to look inward and landward for threats to the Chinese way of life would later have disastrous consequences for China when the Western powers appeared from the direction of the previously ignored ocean border.

Oblivious to the events which would soon befall China from the other direction, the Great Wall kept its vigil. In 1979, the Chinese government proclaimed the Great Wall a national monument and formed a commission to oversee its preservation. It attracts tourists from all over the world and remains a symbol of the greatness of China's past.

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