Benefits of the Great Wall of China

Benefits of the bulky protect of mainland ChinaThe corking WallThe text The Great Wall, by John Man, is about the worlds longest man made structure. Ranging from easterly to western China the length of the colossal smother remains stranger because the border does non tune a single continues line. in that location argon several gaps and its been destroyed and re create during incompatible dynasties. Measurements vary between 2,694 and 6,000 kilometers from the western recant to the sea (Man, 5). The section that was reinforced in the Ming Dynasty is about 25 feet uplifted and 16 feet wide. In Chinese, the token for jetty is ambiguous it can cogitate both Long City, and Long Walls. Construction of the Great Wall began near 214 BC and it was maintained until the 16th century. The Wall that was built in the Qin Dynasty is the to the highest degree famous one because it was the first and oldest section that soundless remains today. The up-to-the-minute or the most cu rrent segment was built in the Ming Dynasty. There is much more to it than just a barrier the wall itself contains fortresses, barracks, halt towers and beacon towers (Man, 5).Though the Great Wall is a national symbol of identity for the Chinese, the reason for its crook is commonly unknown. Most people deliberate that the wall was built to create protection from the barbarous nomads in Yankee China who were attacking them, but this was non the case. John Man in The Great Wall argues that the nomad attacks were a justification for the destruction of the tribes. The nomads were not the ones to give instruction violence it was the Chinese that provoked and attacked the nomads for land. The Wall was never the barrier it seemed or was claimed to be because nomads could still easily go all over or with it while the Chinese empire ruled and influenced both position of the wall (Man, 8). So it was trifling against the Mongols in the northeastward. It was Chinese expansionism th at withaltually obligate the organic evolution of pastoral nomadism and Chinese expansionism that created the threat (Man, 21).The construction of the wall served mutliple purposes. One, it defined spheres of interest, scoring a frontier and confining the unruly nomad populations where they could eventually be glowering into workers (Man, 8). Two, it was a way for ambitious leaders to flaunt their power and censure alien threats. The wall was first created when China was divided into three different states the Zhou in the Federal borderlands, the Qin in south and west, and the Yen in north and east. These rulers each built walls for protection from each other and to render that they were serious about ruling (Man, 23). In 221 B.C. Qin Huang conquered and unified all the states and symbolically demolished the inter-state walls. He indeed extended the remaining wall into the northern frontier for protection from an Xiongnu invasion (Great Wall). The wall eventually became Ch inas main polite project, comparable in scope to the pyramids in Egypt, and construction continued until the brave out dynasty in the 16th century.One of the biggest advantages of the Great Wall was that it created a champion of identity for the Chinese. It portrayed their endurance and their frugalal and political power. Although it was functionally useless and took hundreds of years to complete, it worked as a symbol of authority and power in the eyes of Chinas opponents and enemies. It also isolated the nomadic tribes that lived in the northern side of the wall, forcing them to participate in barter and trade. One of the advantages of the great wall was this forced increase in commercial and trade. Scholar Jia Yi states, our markets beneath the Great Wall provide surely swarm with the XiongnuWhen the Xiognu have developed craving for our rice, stew, barbecues and wine, this will have become their fatal weakness. Border Markets Thrived(60). The Wall also helped protect trader s and administrators, which encouraged a merchant middle class in the western kingdoms, leading China to be richer than ever.While the empire was split in three different states, it was the nobles who were responsible for organizing a workforce for the construction of the walls. Peasants were forced to work on the wall by their nobles (Man, 23). People suffered from the forced persistence it took to build the Great Wall, (Man, 123). It was estimated that during the construction of the wall, from 5th to 16th century, about 2-3 millions Chinese workers lost their lives (Great Wall). They didnt have a formal burial, the workers that died were sealed inside the wall as if they were born to support in weight both in life and in death. The workforce was divided into three different groups soldiers, criminals, and ordinary bicycle people. Millions were called to work on the Wall, leaving their families and loved ones behind even children had to crossroads the workforce (Labor Force of Gr eat Wall).The wall led to a deep numbers of deaths and injuries during the years of its construction. It split up families and widowed many women. not only did the wall have a negative effect on the citizens of the empire but it also had a negative impact on the nomads that lived on the northern side of the wall. It restricted their area of stay and the resources they had, trammel their amount of space for animals and restricting their travel to alternative trade or lands. This eventually led nomads to unify under the Mongolian pudding stone. The Mongolian Empire was led by emperor Genghis Khan, who organized raids and attacks on the Chinese Empire. The wall might have been a great authoritative representation, but it had an evenly strong negative effect on the communities surrounding it.The wall that was built by the first emperor Qin was not sustainable it was made of primer coat rather than stones, causing the wall to vanish over the years. Later dynasties would then rebuild it using earth, wood, or stones. Originally, the earth wall was made from was a mix of mud and local grass straws. The wall in north of Guyuan and in Yinchuan is the oldest original earth section. Later, lacking any efficient form of transportation for the materials, the workers would just adapt local resources. They would use rock musics from nearby mountains or rammed earth from the plains. It wasnt until the later dynasties started expanding the walls to Hohhot and Beijing that carved stone began to be officially and universally used. Because of this patchwork of materials, some parts of the wall were made of chunks of flat, slate-like rock and ran along a hillside while others used bricks (Man, 8). During the Ming dynasties the walls were constructed using tiles, lime, and stone, which managed to last monthlong and be more effective (The Wall). Because the bricks were easier to carry compared to stones and earth, they made it easier for the workers to build the walls (The Wa ll). The stones were still used for the foundations since they could hold the walls weight better under different conditions. As years passed, people continued to acquire better resources and methods to construct the walls.The fourth dimension and the location of the structure help determine the reasons behind the creation of the walls. It was built at a time where competition and power among the different states and regions was at its peak, different Emperors treasured to intimidate their respective enemies by showing them that they had the economic and political power necessary for this huge civic project. It was more of a symbol of their power rather than functionally protective as on that point was no real exterior threat to the dynasties. Even if there was, the nomads had no problem climbing or going through the wall. To them, the wall was not an obstacle. The Great Wall was built at a time where emperors wanted to flaunt their dominance to intimidate any potential enemy att acks.The great wall was am intimidating structure, a series of safe-houses for traders, a staggeringly extended barracks, a road for the transport of goods-and thus, as the second convey of the symbol for great wall in Chinese implies, a truly long city. straight off the great wall is a representation of peace. A Tibetan said The Great Wall is a masterpiece containing the firmness and diligence of all the peoples and nationalities of China. As the years passed, the wall became more redundant. Today the wall is a representation and symbol of China. The wall is no yearlong a barrier or a border but a pure symbol of a Chinese heritage. It attracts millions of people from all over the world who come to see the worlds largest structure. Useful in its time, today construction of the wall would create a dispute among United Nations. It would be even less functionally protective as a wall would not stop the intentions of any outside threat with the technology and weapons we have today. The Great Wall by John Man isnt the best literature Ive read, particularly for this assignment. The most useful information I received for this assignment was in the introduction. The rest of the book focused more on the broader history of China and its dynasties. Even though it was interesting to learn about the different dynasties, it wasnt rattling related to our assignment and wasnt engagingly written. I felt like there was too much factual information for a reader to glide by focused on the main idea. The author didnt have clear particularised information about the wall. It was scattered all over different chapters without a clear organizing structure. It wouldve been better if he include more information on and of the people who built the walls, their lifestyle, and the conditions in which they worked in. He could have also included more information on the lifestyles of nomads and how the wall changed their traditional cultures.