China's Great Wall, wait...but what to believe?

China's Great Wall, wait...but what to believe?

Myths and Legends, and truths!

What is the Great Wall of China?

The Great Wall of China is an ancient series of walls and fortifications located in northern China.

Estimates of its length vary from 1,500 to 5,000 miles, but an archaeological survey carried out in 2012 by China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage suggested the wall is more than double than that length: some 13,000 miles – or 21,000km – long

The biggest thing you should know, not just the numbers, is that it was a huge man made structure, even for today's standards.

Multiple Choice

True or False?

The Chinese call the structure, the "Great Wall of China".

• True

• False

False, when it was being built, but now today it is called The Great Wall for tourism.

• it was called by most "10,000 Li Long Wall"

• a Li was a unit of measure of length equal to about 1/3 of a mile.

Multiple Choice

The Wall was built at first with stones brought from foundries miles away, and transported to the location

• True

• False

False - It was made out of POUNDED EARTH

It wasn't until years later that much of the stone sections we see in most pictures were made. The first wall was built using packed dirt built up at each section. Wow, that must have taken a long time!

Multiple Choice

In the 13th century (1200 C.E.), the Mongols (the barbarians to the north) conquered China by....

• climbing the wall at night on areas not guarded

• shooting arrows and pulleys to climb the wall and bring their army into China

• they simply went around the wall from the south and east

• they climbed on each other's backs to make a human pyramid

The Ming dynasty regained control of China in 1368 from the Mongols.

• Ming Emperors decided to built new walls to protect

• first used "pounded earth" the traditional style

• by the 1500 C.E., they started using BRICK and STONE

• Average new height was 26 feet tall

Multiple Choice

The Great Wall runs as far East as the Pacific Ocean to block the Northern Border!

In fact, the wall is built into the Ocean. True or False?

• True

• False

It cannot be seen from the Moon...or even from orbiting the earth in space for that matter!

This was from Robert Ripley (Ripley's Believe It or Not). Magazine was always full of Fiction, but many because of time believed.