GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21982, 17 June 1933, Page 22

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

■ ; - USE FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS A COLOSSAL ACHIEVEMENT.

The operations of the Japanese in the vicinity of that 2000-year-old barrier, the Great Wall of China, form a reminder of the age-long part that the enormous construction has played in the protection of the ancient empire. Built over 200 years before the Christian era, the colossal wall, stretching like a huge dragon for 1500 miles without a break over mountains and valleys, represents one of the boldest conceptions of the human mind, and one of the greatest engineering marvels of the world. It was built by the Emperor Tsin Chi, who has been called the world’s greatest mason, shortly after he had reunited the different parts of his vast country into an empire, and it stretches from the Yellow Sea into Asia for a distance which must have meant a year’s travel in those days. The labour of constructing it was carried out by 20,000 soldiermasons, protected by 400,000 troops, while 30,000 other men were used in the transport of materials, food supplies, and other necessaries for maintaining such a vast army in remote and in many places utterly barren areas. In all, nearly half a million men expended

their labours for 10 years on the project. Later historians have considered that by attracting a population to the region around, the danger which the Great Wall was intended to prevent was actually increased. In places the wall is 25 feet across at the base, 25 feet or more high, and 15 feet wide at the top. It has been calculated that there was enough material in the Great Wall at its completion to build a wall nine feet high right round the world. The structural character of the wall is quite simple. It was built mainlyi of earth and stone, and is mostly covered with a coating of bricks, some of which weigh over half a hundredweight. On the ridge of the wall runs a passage along which cars could be driven, between crenellated parapets, and at regular intervals square watch towers rise on which fires were lighted as soon as any danger was sighted. Tsin Chi's ambition was that history should date from his reign and he did his best to destroy all books and records, and burned 500 priests who had memorised them.