| The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty was the integration of the defensive walls set up respectively by the states of Qin, Zhao and Yan during the Warring States Period and the dynasties of the Northern Wei, the Northern Qi, Su, Tang and Jin, etc.. It had gone through constant improvements in history and now became a colossal military system of fortification. The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty winded westwards from the Pass of Shanhaiguan and came into the domain of the city Beijing via the General Pass in the Pinggu County. The Wall in Beijing zigzagged from east to west across six counties and districts basically along the inner ranges of the Yan and Jundu mountains embracing the capital city Beijing. It extended 629 kilometers in the Beijing territory with 827 city forts, wall forts, anti-enemy forts and combat forts, 71 passes and fortresses. For more than 270 years, it served as a firm defensive barrier for the Ming dynastic capital. The construction of the Ming Great Wall was invested with the sweat and toil of the working people as well as the wisdom of the strategists, the architects such as Xuda, Hua Yunlong, Tan Lun, Qi Jiguang and Yuqian, etc. They gave suggestions and lived in person on the border to design and supervise the construction. Throughout the whole Ming reign, the construction of the Great Wall never stopped. Thanks to them, we the Chinese, even the whole world are left with this precious legacy and a tourist attraction. |
