![Great Wall of China.[Credits : © 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, España]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/32/20432-003-4E5F8C44.gif)
extensive bulwark erected in ancient China. It is one of the largest building-construction projects ever carried out, running (with all its branches) about 4,500 miles (7,300 km) east to west from Shanhai Pass near the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli) to Jiayu Pass (in modern Gansu province). Without its branches and other secondary sections, the wall extends for some 4,160 miles (6,700 km), often tracing the crestlines of hills and mountains as it snakes across the Chinese countryside. Large parts of the fortification date from the 7th through the 4th century bc. In the 3rd century bc Shihuangdi (Qin Shihuang), the first emperor of a united China (under the Qin dynasty), connected a number of existing defensive walls into a single system. Although lengthy sections of the wall are now in ruins or have disappeared completely, it is still one of the more remarkable structures on earth. The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
The Great Wall developed from the disparate border fortifications and castles of individual Chinese kingdoms. For several centuries these kingdoms probably were as concerned with protection from their near neighbours as they were with the threat of “barbarian” invasions or raids.
Great-Wall-of-ChinaGreat Wall of China.[Credits : © 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, España]
A-tower-or-platform-on-the-Great-Wall-of-ChinaA tower, or platform, on the Great Wall of China.[Credits : © 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, España]
Great-Wall-of-ChinaGreat Wall of China.[Credits : © 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, España]
A-crenellated-eastern-section-of-the-Great-Wall-of-ChinaA crenellated eastern section of the Great Wall of China.[Credits : © 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, España]
Tourists-on-a-section-of-the-Great-Wall-of-ChinaTourists on a section of the Great Wall of China near Beijing.[Credits : © Marius Hetrea]
A-pass-in-the-western-section-of-the-Great-WallA pass (fortress) in the western section of the Great Wall of China known as the “Last Door …[Credits : © 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, España]
The-western-limit-of-the-Great-Wall-of-China-viewedThe western limit of the Great Wall of China viewed from a Ming fortress (1372), near Jiuquan, …[Credits : Wolfgang Kaehler]
Tourists-on-the-Great-Wall-of-ChinaTourists on the Great Wall of China.[Credits : © 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, España]
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