Page 14 - The Great Wall of China

From a base of 15 to 50 feet, the Great Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty (1206-1368)
Wall rose some 15-30 feet high and was
topped by ramparts 12 feet or higher; The powerful Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty
guard towers were distributed at intervals (1206-1368), established by Genghis Khan,
along it. With the death of Qin Shi Huang
and the fall of the Qin Dynasty, much of
the Great Wall fell into disrepair. After the
fall of the later Han Dynasty, a series of
frontier tribes seized control in northern
China. The most powerful of these was
the Northern Wei Dynasty, which repaired
and extended the existing wall to defend
against attacks from other tribes.
Bei Qi kingdom (550–577)
The Bei Qi kingdom (550–577) built or
repaired more than 900 miles of wall.
Sui Dynasty (581–618)
The short-lived but effective Sui Dynasty
(581–618) repaired and extended the Great
Wall of China a number of times.
Tang Dynasty (618-907)
With the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang
Dynasty, the Great Wall lost its importance
as a fortification, as China had defeated the
Tujue tribe to the north and expanded past
the original frontier protected by the wall.
Song Dynasty (960-1279)
During the Song Dynasty, the Chinese were
forced to withdraw under threat from the
Liao and Jin peoples to the north, who took
over many areas on both sides of the Great
Wall.
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eventually controlled all of China, parts of
Asia and sections of Europe.
Though the Great Wall held little importance
for the Mongols as a military fortification,
soldiers were assigned to man the wall in
order to protect merchants and caravans
traveling along the lucrative Silk Road trade
routes established during this period.
Ming Dynasty Construction
Despite its long history, the Great Wall of
China as it is exists today was constructed
mainly during the mighty Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644).
Like the Mongols, the early Ming rulers had
little interest in building border fortifications,
and wall building was limited before the late
15th century. In 1421, the Ming emperor Yongle
proclaimed China’s new capital, Beijing, on
the site of the former Mongol city of Dadu.
Under the strong hand of the Ming rulers,
Chinese culture flourished, and the period
saw an immense amount of construction in
addition to the Great Wall, including bridges,
temples and pagodas.
The construction of the Great Wall as it is
known today began around 1474. After an
initial phase of territorial expansion, Ming
rulers took a largely defensive stance, and
their reformation and extension of the Great
Wall was key to this strategy.