The Origin and History of the Great Wall

I. Origin of the name of the Great Wall:

For more than 2,000 years, the construction of the Great Wall in China has basically been recorded, but the names used in the construction and recording of the Great Wall in different dynasties and generations are different. Some of these different names are common to each other in the same historical period, while others are only used in a certain historical period or a certain region.

1, the Great Wall, the name of the Great Wall began in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and it is the most common title of the Great Wall.

2. Fangcheng, called Fangcheng of the Great Wall in ancient times, was only used by Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period.

3. Graben, long graben, urban graben and wall graben are basically common terms, which were almost used from the Warring States to the Ming Dynasty.

4. The words "fortress", "beyond the Great Wall" and "beyond the Great Wall" are used in many places in history books. Generally speaking, they have two meanings: one is to point out the key points. Some of these passes, called blockades, are just above the Great Wall, while others are far away from it. Another meaning is on behalf of the Great Wall.

5. Great Wall Block, Great Wall Pavilion Block, Great Wall Block, this is the performance of the Great Wall and the Great Wall together. This title is also common in history books.

Second, the history of the Great Wall:

The Great Wall is an ancient defense project with the longest construction time and the largest engineering quantity in China and even in the world. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, it has been built continuously for more than 2,000 years, distributed in the vast land in northern and central China, with a total length of more than 50,000 kilometers.

Since Qin Shihuang, almost all dynasties that ruled the Central Plains have built the Great Wall. There are more than ten dynasties such as Han, Jin, Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing, all of which have built the Great Wall of different scales.

Judging from the ruling nationalities who built the Great Wall, besides the Han nationality, many dynasties in which ethnic minorities ruled China also built the Great Wall, more than those ruled by the Han nationality.

During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, although the construction of the Great Wall was stopped on a large scale, it was later built in some places. It can be said that from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Qing Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall has never stopped for more than two thousand years.

According to historical documents, more than 20 vassal states and feudal dynasties built the Great Wall. If you add up the Great Wall built in different times, it is more than 10 in Wan Li, and the length of the Great Wall in Qin, Han and Ming dynasties exceeds 1 Wan Li. ?

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Historical significance of the Great Wall:

1, sideband development

From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many passes along the Great Wall became places or centers for ethnic transactions in the two major economic and cultural systems of agriculture and animal husbandry, and some gradually developed into important towns along the Great Wall.

The Great Wall not only ensures the normal development of agricultural economy, culture and animal husbandry economy and culture, but also provides a place and convenience for their exchange and complementarity.

2. National integration

Culturally, the Great Wall has also played an important role in the formation and development of the pluralistic and integrated pattern of the Chinese nation. On the contrary, the construction and defense of the Great Wall and the war in the Great Wall area promoted the extensive integration of the Han nationality in ancient China and a dozen ethnic minorities.

3. Military significance

The Great Wall is the greatest military defense project in the ancient history of the world. It is not a simple isolated first-line wall, but from point to line, from line to surface, connecting the passes, military fortresses, Guancheng and military towns along the Great Wall into a tight network, forming a complete defense system.

4. Cultural significance

For more than two thousand years since the appearance of the Great Wall, the cultural exchange between North and South has never stopped. During the Warring States Period, King Wuling of Zhao built the Great Wall of Zhao, calling on Chinese people to learn "Khufu riding and shooting" and carry out cultural exchanges between the North and the South.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, there was an unprecedented dialogue and exchange between the northern and southern cultures of the Great Wall. Qin Quan and imperial edicts found along the Great Wall, murals of Han tombs in Helinger, Inner Mongolia, Khan and Wadang, and the well-known tomb of Zhaojun, all witnessed the cultural exchange and integration between North and South.

Stories about the Great Wall:

1, hanging stone

Near Jiayuguan in Gansu, there is a piece of white stone to bask in the scriptures, which is said to be the place where Xuanzang basks in the scriptures. According to legend, Xuanzang, Wukong, Bajie, Friar Sand and their disciples in the Tang Dynasty went through hardships and traveled long distances.

After learning from India, I crossed the Flame Mountain and Shule River and came to Hexi Corridor. On this day, the weather was particularly hot and the scorching sun was like fire. The endless Gobi desert is so hot that there is nowhere to hide, and the stones are baked hot.

Like fire in the sky, Xuanzang rode ahead, followed by three disciples with scrolls. After a few steps, I was sweaty by the hot sun, my lips were chapped and my face was red.

Pig Bajie couldn't stand it, so he begged the master, "It's going to be hot, so it's not too late to find a shady place to rest." Hearing this, Xuanzang immediately shouted, "This Gobi Desert is thousands of miles away, and not even a grass grows. Where can I get a tree? The important thing is to hurry! "

Pig was helpless, pursed his mouth, panting, and hurried forward. As he walked, he looked at the sky and saw that the sky was blue without a cloud. By the way, he said, "If only it were raining now."

I didn't expect that. The words sound just fell, the clouds were gathering, the thunder and lightning flashed, and the pouring rain poured down. The four of them are all wet, and the scriptures are all wet. After the weather cleared up, Xuanzang hurriedly ordered Wukong to explore the road and find a good place to spread out the scrolls to dry.

Wukong pushed aside the clouds and found a black and oily black stone mountain not far away. Upon inquiry, he learned that this mountain is called Dongting Mountain. Wukong quickly took the master up the mountain.

Xuanzang was very satisfied and pointed to a big black stone and said, "This stone is a good place to bask in the scriptures. You should quickly open the scroll and spread it out to dry, so that Bajie can guard it. There can be no mistakes. "

Soon, the scroll was dry, and the four of them quickly packed up the scroll and prepared to go on their way. Unexpectedly, a few pieces stuck to the stone and could not be taken off. I have no choice but to copy it on other paper.

Soon, the black stone that had dried the scroll suddenly turned white. Later, people called this white stone "hanging stone". Since then, this folklore has spread.

2. Does the goat carry bricks?

Jiayuguan City, the wall is 9 meters high, and dozens of pavilions of different sizes and countless stacked walls will be built on the wall. The amount of bricks used is amazing. At that time, the construction conditions were very poor, there was no lifting equipment, and it was all carried by hand.

At that time, the bricks used to repair Guancheng were all burned 40 miles away. After the brick is burned, it will be pulled to the bottom of Guancheng by ox cart, and then carried up manually.

Because of the height of the city, the only way to get up and down is steep and it is difficult to get up and down. Although many people were sent to carry the bricks on the wall, all of them were tired to death, but the bricks on their backs were still in short supply, which seriously affected the progress of the project.

One day, a shepherd boy came here to play with sheep. Seeing this scene, he had a brainwave, took off his belt, tied a brick at each end and put it on the goat.

Then, he patted the sheep on the back, and the kid trotted up the wall with a brick on his back. People were surprised and happy after seeing it, and they followed suit. A large number of bricks were quickly transported to the city wall.

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