The Great Wall of china
For my Cultural Research Project, I chose the Great Wall of China. My report is below. If you would prefer to read the marquee version, click here
The Great Wall of China has long captured the awe of all to see it. Stretching over 5,000 kilometers through northern China, it is an amazing spectacle. The sheer length of the wall is apparent when seen from space in this NASA radar image (See the radar image below. The thin orange line is the Great Wall.) The wall has undergone much change throughout its life, beginning sometime around 770 BC, when it was built by the warring states to keep northern enemies and nomads out of the area now known as China. However, these wall constructions were built as separate entities, and were not unified until the Qin Dynasty was in power (Around 221-207 BC).
With each succeeding dynasty, the wall was extended, to eventually reach an amazing 6,700 kilometers. However, the wall is not as invincible, as it may seem. Years of wear and tear have taken their toll on the wall. In fact, a recent survey by the China Great Wall Academy has shown that less than 30% of the wall remains in good condition, and the wall is no longer 5,000 kilometers, due to the damage caused by humans and nature. Nature is slowly destroying the wall by desertification, when the desert sands drift with the wind, turning everything into desert. Desert now covers much of the Wall’s ruins, and often only the tall guard towers stick out of the sand, marking the wall.
Humans, however, have not made the situation any better, and actually are helping to slowly obliterate the wall. Local road constructions have destroyed or damaged the wall in some, places, as the road is sometimes built directly on the ground where the wall used to be. Also, in many places, the wall has been dismantled, stone by stone. The soil in much of the wall is very rich and has been removed to use as fertilizer. The bricks have also been removed in multiple places to be used for roads, houses and other construction projects. While the deconstruction of the wall is not a good thing, restoration is not always the correct solution. The restored parts of the wall must be constructed as the original was, which often hasn’t been the case lately.
But there is hope for the future. The wall is a huge tourist attraction, and thus brings in a lot of money for the country. If the Wall is not kept in good condition, tourism may dry up. This may motivate the Chinese government to repair the wall. Hopefully, in the future, the wall can be restored correctly, using the money earned from tourism.
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