The Great Wall of China is one of the most recognizable monuments in the world. However, there are several misconceptions on the facts about the Great Wall of China, whose name actually refers to two separate constructions.

The Original Great Wall, and Today's Great Wall
Wall-building around settlements for protection was common practice in China for more than 3,000 years. From 403-221 BC, which was known as the Warring States period, territories fought for control of the area of modern-day China. Qin Shihuangdi, the first emperor of China, emerged victorious and created a unified China in 221 BC. He then built the original Great Wall to fortify China's northern border from invading tribes. Virtually nothing remains of Shihuangdi's Great Wall today. It lay in ruins well before the 15th and 16th centuries AD, when the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) constructed a series of walls that make up today's Great Wall to keep out the Mongols, a northern tribe, who had defeated them.

Facts about the Great Wall
One interesting fact about the contemporary Great Wall of China is that the structure is not one continuous wall; it is a series of several walls and towers, and there are open areas that reveal the land beyond the structure. Another misconception is that the Great Wall can be seen from outer space. Several astronauts have confirmed that this statement is not true, although scientists have been able to detect the Great Wall on specialized satellite radar images.

There is much disagreement regarding the length of the Great Wall. Some historians cite the length at 4,000 miles (6,400 km), while others insist that it spans only 1,500 miles (2,400 km). These discrepancies are the result of inconsistencies in terms of which sections of the structure are included for measurement. One fact about the Great Wall of China that historians can agree on, however, is that some of the highest points on the monument, around Beijing, measured at least 25 feet (7.6 m) tall and 30 feet (9 m) wide. The dimensions differed considerably at various points along the structure.

The Naming of the Great Wall
When discussing facts about the Great Wall of China, it is worth noting that it was not the Chinese people who labeled this architectural marvel the "Great Wall." The term was assigned by European visitors, who incorrectly assumed that the monument extended a considerable distance in each direction. Over the years, the Chinese gradually accepted this notion, despite the fact that the history books held evidence to the contrary.

Mao Zedong and the Great Wall
This acceptance by the Chinese of the European notion of the Great Wall changed when Mao Zedong came to power in 1949. He implemented the Cultural Revolution, during which time everything representative of traditional Chinese culture was destroyed. The walls around Beijing and other places in the country were torn down. It was not until after Mao's death, and subsequently the end of the Cultural Revolution, that the romantic idea of the Great Wall was resurrected, and many sections of the wall were renovated.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

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