The Great Wall is not just a brick wall, but a complete defensive system consisting of walls, watchtowers, gated passes, fortresses, and beacon towers. Thus, it delayed the moment of attack, giving soldiers time to prepare to fight.Ģ. Even if they could climb the wall, transportation of materials and chariots was no easy task. Nomadic tribes had to get across the wall, if they wanted to invade the Central Plains. The long, stretched-out Great Wall was built along the ridge on its steep side, with forests and untrodden earth surrounding it, although it was not very high. It took advantage of the terrain to make it hard to climb, to sap the enemies’ energy and give soldiers time to do fight preparation.

Was it effective against attack? Why did the Great Wall stretch for thousands of miles even across deserts? It took a great deal of labor and resources, but without being strictly guarded at some parts, how did it work as a defense? Was defense its only purpose for successive dynasties in history? To explore the secrets of the Great Wall you may have never known before, read on.ġ.

How was the Great Wall defended in ancient times?Ĭompared with a city wall, the Great wall seems not to be tall enough to defend. The seven states’ border walls became the known as the Ten Thousand Li (Chinese Mile) Long Wall. Until the Qin Dynasty (from 221 to 206 BC) conquered and unified the other six kingdoms, Qing shihuang (King of the State of Qin from 247 to 211 BC) commanded the people to build the walls of all the states joined together and form a line of defense. This way the feudal princes had enough troops that could be deployed in defending against a war or merging other states. They had to construct the Great Wall to enable their guards to protect them. The Northern nomadic tribes were very good at sudden attacks, and the cavalry and infantry of states could not stop their invasion. As a result, walls were distributed in Xihe Prefecture of Wei State, Zhangshui area of Zhao State, the Western area of Zhongshan State, Yi River of Yan States, and Mount Tai of Qi State, which were essentially the embryo of the Great Wall and played an important role in war time.

In the Warring States Period (from 476 to 211 BC), the feudal princes of Qi, Han, Zhao, Yan, Qin and Zhongshan States respectively raised up walls along their borders, each for their own kingdom’s benefit and security. This part of the Great Wall was built by Chu States. The earliest Great Wall appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period (from 770 to 476 BC). Given its efficient defense, this style of fortification became a growing trend, even after society had taken the form of the class system. As a military defense, that wall and fortress can be traced back to the later period of Primitive Commune.

The Great Wall was built based on walls and fortresses.

The great wall