We Bet You Did not Know These 5 Things About Great Wall of China

History of the Wall: The construction of this wall of China took more than 1800 years. While it began under the Qin Dynasty, the distinct segments that are visible till date are mostly the work of Ming Dynasty. It is prevalent misconception that this wall is an uninterrupted structure. Rather, it would be more appropriate to describe the Great Wall of China as a 20,000-Kilometer network of walls.

Yes! You read it right. It was among the regular duties of the convicted criminals to take part in the construction, surveillance and maintenance of the Great Wall. For differentiating criminals from civilians, the authorities would blacken their faces, shave their heads and chain their limbs.

It is more than obvious that any sort of construction would require building materials like stone and earth. What’s most interesting information about the Great Wall is, the construction incorporated the use of glutinous rice a.k.a sticky rice. Do you now realize what makes this wall so strong?

Even though the present stretch of the Great Wall is extremely impressive, the surviving elements extend to tremendous 13,171 miles, which is quite a decrease from its peak length during the Ming Dynasty. It might come as a surprise but almost one-third of the construction no longer remains.

What? Why? When? Yes! Whatever you have heard about the Great Wall of China’s visibility from space was a mere exaggeration. The myth about the visibility got a boost through Henry Norman’s book, The Peoples and Politics of the Far East and also because of 1932 cartoon strip from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!  On the other hand, Neil Armstrong claimed that this wall was by no means visible from space.

With travelers shifting their interest from historical monuments to more peppy destinations, knowing the unknown will surely revive the interest and make people appreciate this marvel. So head on to The Great Wall Of China!