The Great Wall

The Great Wall was initially built in the Spring and Autumn Period. During the following 2,000 years, the construction, connection and restoration of the wall had never ceased. The present Great Wall was largely built in the Ming Dynasty. The Badaling stretch,the best preserved portion of the Ming Great Wall,was widely realized as the essence of the Ming Great Wall. Standing on the top of Badaling and looking to the distance,one will be amazed at the great wonder of the Wall.In 1961 it was listed by the Chinese State Council as a key national historical heritage protection site. Later in 1988,it was nominated by the UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.

 

From ancient time,Badaling has occupied a military important position. In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring State Period,in an attempt to block the horsemen from the north,the Great Wall ws built here by the states. Its layout and position had a great influence on the Ming Great Wall over one thousand years . According to the book The Night Talk in Changan published in the Ming Dynasty, Badaling is a place where numerous roads meet, thus from here one can go to any direction. Its name - Badaling, or literally a hill from which one can go to 8 directions (in China "8 directions" means all directions and places) well depicts the situation.

 

Badaling Great Wall,which functioned as an important military barrier for the empire’s capital Beijing,was originally built by Emperor Hongzhi in 1505,and its construction continued until the reigns of the following two emperors Jiangjing and Wanli.

 

In the ancient time, Great Wall  was a vital natural barrier to defend the central China, thus,it had been heavily guarded during the dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing. Badaling Fortification is positioned at the northern entrance of the Pass Valley, from which one can easily go to Beijing in the south, Yanqing County in the north, Datong City in the west and Yongning County in the east.

 

The highest peak is over 1,000 meters above the sea level. Its strategic location explains why it was name so.

 

Badaling section of Great Wall consists of two pass cities,one of which is the eastern pass city that called "Juyong Outer Town".The other one is the western one called "Bei Men Shuo Yao" or "the Lock and Key of the Northern Gate". The pass cities we see today,built in 1505,are among the most well-known passees. There is a story about "Bei Men Shuo Yue". In the Song Dynasty, after the Song Government signed the peace treaty with the Liao Government, the Song Prime Minister Kou Zun was sent by the emperor to defend Damingfu. One day a Liao envoy was rather surprised to saw Kou Zhun when he passed Damingfu,and asked:"As the Song prime minister, what are you doing here?" Since there are no urgent and import problems in our central government now, I come here as the lock and key to the northern gate of my country. Except me, nobody can fulfill this crucial mission." replied Kou Zhun seriously. From then on,the term of  "lock and key to the northern gate" refers to those brave generals who defended in the north of China.

 

Near today’s Badaling Railway Station, there stands a huge magnificent castle which is the ancient commanding office of the famous "Bei Men Shuo Yao" Pass City. According to the historical record, that Badaling was the commanding point of the Juyong Pass,while the Turnoff City was the hedge of Badaling.

 

Five pieces of ancient iron cannon, which were made in 1638,displayed near the entrance to the Badaling Great Wall. They are the most advanced heavy weapon of the Ming Dynasty. On the body of the cannon there is a line of Chinese characters: the divine general ordered by the emperor. The other four smaller ones together with hundreds of cannon shells were unearthed on the spot in 1957. All these ancient weapons were made in the Ming Dynasty.

 

The outer part of the wall is made of numerous huge rampart bricks or granite block that is about one ton in weight. The strong wall can survive for thousands of years since it was filled with earth and gravels inside. The rampart is 7.8 meters high, 6.4 meters wide, and 5.8 meters wide on the top. Five horses or ten men can wall abreast on the top. On the external side of the wall on the tops there are 1.7 meters to 2 meters high battlements, below which there may be holes for shooting arrows during a war. Besides, the water discharge system of the wall is also very impressive. All these illustrate the great talents of the Chinese ancient architects.

 

City Dais,also called wall dais,is a platform structure with battlements on the top. In the ancient time,soldiers not only patrol on it but also took it as a defense work in the battle.

 

Watch Dais or watchtower,is usually a rectangular two storied structures built on the top of the Great Wall. The ground floor of a watch dais,with a number of small windows for archers, was used to store weapons. The upper floor contains battlements, peepholes and apertures for archers as well as beacon facilities for sending warning. The watchtower is a very important to the Great wall

 

A war dais was also a warehouse for ammunition and food. Usually each war dais was guarded by 60 soldiers with 150 kilograms of gunpowder. When a battle broke out,soldiers could shoot arrows and rocks and fire cannon by taking advantages of the high position of the war dais.

 

Each beacon tower, an independent blockhouse, was built at the commanding point of the Great Wall where the position is very important, dangerous and good for viewing the enemy. Normally,there are five beacon pillars on the tower for sending signals about the enemy. Fires were lit on the beacon towers at night and the smoke in the daytime. The number of the fires and smoke columns represented the numbers of the invading enemies. Over 2,700 years ago,this ancient but efficient communication warning system had already been applied in the Zhou Dynasty.