December 25, 2019 ▸ History, War & Conflict

Episode 441: Great Wall of China: Man, That’s One Big Wall…

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at one of the 7 Wonders of the World: The Great Wall of China. This incomprehensible war machine took centuries to build and maxed out at over 13,000 miles in total length. It is said that over a million Chinese conscripts died in the construction of the wall, and while it is now a place that fills Chinese people with national pride, it used to fill them with fear of forced labor and death. But it did its job of protecting the north of China from most invaders and served to help unify the country.

The back story of how the wall was built really gets kind of Game of Thronesy. China was several warring sub kingdoms which had started to build massive walls as protection against other kingdoms. In 221 BCE, a man named Qin Shi Huang came along and unified the seven kingdoms into one Chinese Empire. It was the birth of the nation of China that still survives today. He was said my many historians to be a tyrant who ruled with spies and fear. He saw the North as a threat because of the Mongols and other forces, and he decided to unify all of the previous walls into one long, great wall. He gathered peasants and soldiers and forced them build his wall and protect his legacy and dynasty (all the while wearing a really dope hat!).

But, as with all people, the emperor finally died, and the country fell into civil war. Eventually (after an epic battle that involves a lover, a sword dance, and a night of singing that broke the enemy morale), the nation was reunified in the Han Dynasty. Here, the wall was built even stronger (and some say through even more cruelty to the builders). As the Han Dynasty ended, the wall was built or abandoned by different emperors until the Ming Dynasty.

Under the Ming Dynasty, the wall was reinforced and considered crucial. The images of the wall that survive today—the towering walls, the battlements, the brick construction—all came from the Ming rulers. The wall stood in this glorified state for a quite a while, until the invaders from the north merged with China, and the wall became pointless.

Now, it is one of the greatest tourist destination in the world, and it is one that is danger. Corporate greed, soil erosion, theft, and lame tourists damage the wall every year. Over 30% has been lost to time and human interference, but the wall continues to be a symbol of China and overall stubborn emperors who aren’t afraid to break a few eggs (or a million slaves) to build an 13,000 mile omelet.

Visit our Sources:

https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/great-wall-china-0011155

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China

https://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/fact/how-the-great-wall-was-built.htm

https://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-china/great-wall-of-china

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2016/03-04/the-great-wall-of-china/

https://www.ancient.eu/Great_Wall_of_China/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-great-wall-of-china-is-under-siege-825452/

https://mymodernmet.com/great-wall-china-facts/

https://www.factretriever.com/great-wall-of-china-facts

https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/great-wall-of-china.htm