How Was the Great Wall of China Constructed?

Originally, the Great Wall of China was constructed to protect citizens from people of other kingdoms; however, it was later used to keep nomads on horseback from crossing borders with valuable items. The Wall is over 2,000 years old, being built, renovated or added on to during most of this time.

The Seven Powers

Beginning in 5 B.C., the citizens of the seven states that were called "the Seven Powers" stomped earth and gravel between board frames to protect their borders from the soldiers of the other six states.

The Qin Period

In 221 B.C., Qin Shi Huang conquered the Seven Powers, knocked down portions of the wall that divided his empire, and added to the wall along his new imposed borders. Local resources such as stone and earth were used.

The Ming Dynasty

In 1449, Ming once again began construction on the Great Wall to keep nomadic tribes from crossing into his territories. Technology had significantly advanced--bricks were used to construct the wall in addition to stones.

The Liao Tian Ling Section

Just west of Liao Tian Ling, there is a portion of the wall that looks silver. It is believed the stones used to construct this portion came from Shan Xi, where many mines are located, which resulted in the stone having a high metal content.

Number of Workers

Though we don't know exactly how many Chinese it took to build the wall, archaeologists and historians estimate one to three million Chinese died in relation to the Great Wall's construction.