the great wall
TO understand the Great Wall of Chinas, we must first learn about the three Greta dynasties that played a vital role during its construction and the planning or lack there of associated with it. The Great Wall was first begun in approximately 221 B. C., not long after China became one unified empire as opposed to its prior loose configuration of feudal states. The first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang restored ruins of older walls and organized the construction of an additional wall portion in order to create a 3,000 foot wall that could protect China's northern border. He also ordered the destruction of all internal walls of China, the one's that separated China into feudal states because he felt they served only as obstacles to the internal movements and administration. Qin Shi Huang was not regarded as a benevolent ruler or one that looked out for the welfare of his people. He was known as a tyrant that wanted to standardize aspects of society such as laws, weights and !measures. He believed that people were inherently evil and that the must live by a strict set of rules. Anyone who essentially wasn't tied down to a piece of land was recruited as a worker on the wall. These people included peasants and enemies. Most o
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Within the wall, there were such things known as signal towers. These were also referred to as beacons, beacon terraces, smoke mounds, mounds, or kiosks. They were used in order to send military information by beacon (fire or lanterns) during the night and by using smoke signals during the day. Often times other methods such as raising banners, beating clappers, or firing guns was used. These signal towers were often built on hilltops for maximum visibility, or were self-contained high platforms or towers. The lower levels often contained rooms for soldiers, as well as stables, sheepfolds, and storage areas. The dimensions of the wall are approximately 21.3 feet wide at the base and 19 feet tall. The average height was between 23 and 26 feet. Some sections were made of existing river dikes while others used rugged mountain terrain such as cliffs and gorges to take the place of man-made structures. In the Western deserts, the walls were often more simple structures. M! any were faced with stone and included a number of secondary structures and devices. On the inner side of such walls, placed in small intervals, were arched doors called Chuan doors. These were made of brick or stone and inside each of these doors was a walkway to the top of the battlement. On the top of the side facing the enemy stood seven foot tall high crenels called to-k'ou. On the upper part of these were large openings used to watch and shoot attackers, while on the lower part were small openings or loopholes in which defenders could shoot back through. Approximately every 650 to 980 feet there was a crenulated platform rising slightly above the height of the wall and protruding from the side that faced attackers. During the battle the platform provided a commanding view and the convenience of shooting attackers on the side, as they would attempt to scale the wall with ladders. On several platforms were structures known as p'u-fang, which provided shelter for t! f the work done in all phases of the wall was done by forced labor. Most Confucian literature was burned and conformity became a goal. By 209 B. C., just one year after the Qin dynasty ruler's death, an army of peasants rose in revolt. Officials failed to notify central government for fear of execution, so they did not hear of the uprising until it was too late. As the work on the wall progressed during the Qin dynasty, workers were forced to rely upon local materials. Much of it has been built from dry laid native stone, but where stone was scarce, engineers built the wall from compacted earth. The process began with a wooden frame that was then filled was loose dirt until it was compacted to four inches thick. The p! he guards during the storm. Some platforms often had two or three levels of storage for ammunition, weapons, and supply. There were also drainage ditches on the walls to shield th
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1990
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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