📷 realsmarthome · Pixabay
Where in the world
China
Great Wall of China
Imperial China · China
Field notes
- civilizations
- Imperial ChinaAncient China
- types
- Wall
- built
- 700 BCE
- occupied
- 700 BCE — 1,644 CE
- visitors
- 16,000,000 / year
- country
- China
The site
The Great Wall of China is not one wall but a vast series of fortifications raised along the empire's northern frontier as a shield against nomadic peoples of the Eurasian Steppe. The earliest walls date to the 7th century BCE and were joined under the Qin, while the best-known sections belong to the Ming dynasty. Studded with watchtowers, barracks and signal beacons, it also governed trade and travel along the Silk Road, stretching more than 21,000 kilometers across the land.
