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What makes the Great Wall of China so extraordinary - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen - YouTube
Channel: TED-Ed
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A 13,000 mile dragon of earth and stone
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winds its way through
the countryside of China
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with a history almost as long
and serpentine as the structure.
[16]
The Great Wall began as multiple walls
of rammed earth
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built by individual feudal states
during the Chunqiu period
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to protect against nomadic raiders
north of China and each other.
[27]
When Emperor Qin Shi Huang
unified the states in 221 BCE,
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the Tibetan Plateau and Pacific Ocean
became natural barriers,
[36]
but the mountains in the north
remained vulnerable
[38]
to Mongol, Turkish, and Xiongnu invasions.
[42]
To defend against them,
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the Emperor expanded the small walls
built by his predecessors,
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connecting some and fortifying others.
[50]
As the structures grew
from Lintao in the west
[53]
to Liaodong in the east,
[55]
they collectively became known
as The Long Wall.
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To accomplish this task,
[60]
the Emperor enlisted soldiers
and commoners,
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not always voluntarily.
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Of the hundreds of thousands of builders
recorded during the Qin Dynasty,
[70]
many were forcibly conscripted peasants
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and others were criminals
serving out sentences.
[75]
Under the Han Dynasty,
the wall grew longer still,
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reaching 3700 miles,
[81]
and spanning from Dunhuang
to the Bohai Sea.
[85]
Forced labor continued
under the Han Emperor Han-Wudi ,
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and the walls reputation grew
into a notorious place of suffering.
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Poems and legends of the time
told of laborers buried
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in nearby mass graves,
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or even within the wall itself.
[100]
And while no human remains
have been found inside,
[103]
grave pits do indicate
that many workers died
[105]
from accidents, hunger and exhaustion.
[109]
The wall was formidable
but not invincible.
[113]
Both Genghis and his son Khublai Khan
managed to surmount the wall
[116]
during the Mongol invasion
of the 13th Century.
[119]
After the Ming dynasty
gained control in 1368,
[123]
they began to refortify
and further consolidate the wall
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using bricks and stones from local kilns.
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Averaging 23 feet high and 21 feet wide,
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the walls 5500 miles
were punctuated by watchtowers.
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When raiders were sighted,
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fire and smoke signals traveled
between towers
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until reinforcements arrived.
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Small openings along the wall
let archers fire on invaders,
[149]
while larger ones were used
to drop stones and more.
[153]
But even this new and improved wall
was not enough.
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In 1644, northern Manchu clans
overthrew the Ming
[161]
to establish the Qing dynasty,
[163]
incorporating Mongolia as well,
[165]
Thus, for the second time,
[167]
China was ruled by the very people
the wall had tried to keep out.
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With the empire's borders
now extending beyond the Great Wall,
[174]
the fortifications lost their purpose.
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And without regular reinforcement,
the wall fell into disrepair,
[181]
rammed earth eroded,
[183]
while brick and stone were plundered
for building materials.
[186]
But its job wasn't finished.
[188]
During World War II,
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China used sections for defense
against Japanese invasion,
[192]
and some parts are still rumored
to be used for military training.
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But the Wall's main purpose
today is cultural.
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As one of the largest man-made
structures on Earth,
[203]
it was granted UNESCO
World Heritage Status in 1987.
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Originally built to keep
people out of China,
[209]
the Great Wall now welcomes
millions of visitors each year.
[213]
In fact, the influx of tourists
has caused the wall to deteriorate,
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leading the Chinese government
to launch preservation initiatives.
[220]
It's also often acclaimed as the only
man-made structure visible from space.
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Unfortunately, that's not at all true.
[228]
In low Earth orbit,
all sorts of structures,
[230]
like bridges, highways
and airports are visible,
[234]
and the Great Wall
is only barely discernible.
[237]
From the moon, it doesn't stand a chance.
[240]
But regardless, it's the Earth
we should be studying it from
[244]
because new sections
are still discovered every few years,
[247]
branching off from the main body
[249]
and expanding this remarkable
monument to human achievement.
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