7 Astounding Facts About The Great Wall Of China That Aren’t Just For History Buffs

great wall of china from a distance

The Great Wall of China is undoubtedly one of the great wonders of this world.  Here some interesting facts about it. 

1. It is really really really really long, longer than you think… If you added the length of all the defensive walls created in China over the last 2,000 years, and lined them end to end, then the total length (apx. 31,070 miles) would reach 1.25 times around the Earth (apx. circumference 24,854 miles).

Great Wall of China With Statue

2. Many hands make light work. The original length of the Great Wall was about 3,100 miles long and was built over 10 years by over 1,000,000 workers. This sounds huge but what this means is that each worker was only responsible for about 1.6 feet of wall per year.

Tape Measure

3. Despite being a defensive wall, the Great Wall has never effectively prevented invaders. Ghengis Khan certainly had no problems conquering China. Sorry Mulan.

Mulan making face

4. It took FOREVER to build. The Great Wall is not a single wall like many think. It is a network of walls that were built over the course of over 2,000 years, which is approximately 25 human lifetimes. 

great wall of china with stones falling out

5. During its construction it was called the “longest cemetery on earth.” Estimates put the toll for the construction of the Great Wall at over 300,000 deaths.

bodies in the great wall buried

6. It was a military communication masterpiece. Messages were relayed using smoke signals, lanterns, and beacon fires over a network of over 10,000 watchtowers. A message carried through the network of towers would make Paul Revere‘s epic ride look like a walk in the park.

paul revere

7. So… Can we really see the Great Wall from the moon? No. It is a common misconception that the Great Wall of China can be seen from the moon.

Earth from the Moon

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