The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China was built over two thousand
years ago by the Chinese to protect themselves from the Mongols. The Chinese
and the Mongols were different cultures, and misunderstandings sometimes led
to problems and fear.
In 1449 the sixth Emperor of the Ming Dynasty’s army was defeated and
he was kidnapped by the Mongols. When the news of the kidnapping got back
to the Chinese, they became afraid and decided to build a wall to protect
themselves.
The wall was built of mud and mud bricks. Tens of thousands of workers were
used to build the wall including soldiers, peasants, and criminals. It took
about two hundred years to build.
Today the wall still stands and is over 5000 km long. It is one of the only
manmade things you can see from space.