| When seen from above the Great Wall of China | | | | the Great Wall. Many died. |
| looks like a dragon zigzagging over mountain tops. | | | | Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China, is |
| The Chinese call it "Wan Li Chang Cheng" which | | | | credited with kicking off this massive project |
| means "Wall of 10,000 Li". (10,000 li= 5,000 km) | | | | 2,200 years ago. By connecting old sections with |
| Actually, the Great Wall is 7,200 km long. Height | | | | newly built ones, the Qin Dynasty erected |
| wise, it is 4.5m to 9m. Depth wise, it is 4.5m to | | | | 4,800km of wall in 10 years - more than one km |
| 8m. The entire structure was built by hand using | | | | a day! |
| stone, bricks, soil, sand, straw, wood, clay or | | | | After the Qin, the Han Dynasty extended the |
| whatever was available depending on the terrain. | | | | Great Wall through the Gobi Desert. Watchtowers |
| Three main Chinese dynasties -- the Qin (B.C | | | | were added to the walls. Smoke spirals produced |
| 221-207), Han (B.C 206- A.D 220) and Ming (A.D | | | | by burning wood and straw mixed with wolf dung |
| 1368-1644) -- built the Great Wall of China. All had | | | | functioned as an alarm system. One smoke |
| one purpose -- to keep out the "barbaric" Huns in | | | | column meant a force of 100 men was attacking; |
| the north who frequently invaded Chinese border | | | | two columns signaled that more than 500 men |
| areas. In all, tens of millions of people labored on | | | | were approaching, and so on. |