Exploring the Evolution of the Great Wall

( by Hanley Weng (309248434) - for ARCA2606 )

Table of Contents
Exploring the Evolution of the Great Wall Table of Contents The Story Introduction The Qin Wall The Han Dynasty Northern and Sui Walls The Tang Golden Age Liao and Jin Walls Empire of the Great Khan The Stone Dragon The Last Dynasty Conclusions Technical Process Future Work Bibliography

The Story
Introduction
The Great Wall of China is actually a defense system, a series of walls, garrisons and towers stretching for thousands of miles. The collective lifetimes of this defense system represents over two millennium of periods of peace and turmoil in China. With construction usually instigated due to northern invasions, and often after securing an area. Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall is not actually viewable from space with the naked eye. This is primarily due to its colour which blends with the landscape. The majority of the wall was actually constructed of Earth (usually rammed), as opposed to the Stone Dragon that many tourists see. Many historic persons have contributed and been influenced by the wall. It has influenced the creation, and preserved, many artifacts. Altogether, it represents the strength and mindset of the Chinese empire, and has observed the rise and fall of many dynasties beginning with the first imperial dynasty, the Qin Dynasty.

( Chinese dynasties timeline )

( Image of Chinese Empires over time )

The Qin Wall

Prior to the first imperial dynasty, the Qin dynasty, there was the Zhou Dynasty whoms feudal system was ended with eras of political and economical turbulence (known as Spring and Autumn), and internal and external conflicts which escalated into the period of Warring States. These periods of power struggles, annexing, and external threats, prompted different states (the Chu, Qi, Qin, Zhao and Zhongshan states) to fortify their boundaries with their own walls. Collectively, these individual walls have been termed the Zhou Dynasty Great Wall(s), though they were far from being a single wall. The oldest of these walls (and consequently, the oldest section of the Great Wall) still standing today is the Famous Wall of Qi . Finished in the Warring States period, the surviving section dates back to 500 BCE, protecting the Qis southern boundary from the Lu and Chu states.

( Great Wall of Warring State Period ) Eventually, legalist reforms (based on a Chinese philosophy whereby an all-powerful and effective government is the key to social order) strengthened the Qin states power, leading to the destruction of the six major states and the unification of China under Qin Shi Huang whom later claimed himself the First Emperor. Qin Shi Huang passed a series of major economic and political reforms which resulted in a central government with a large workforce. After conquering the empires northern border with his general Meng Tian, Qin ordered the destruction of walls that previously separated states, whilst ordering the joining and fortification of existing northern walls, resulting in the the Qin wall (the Ten Thousand Li Great Wall, the original Great Wall of China) to protect the empire against the northern nomads whom would raid villages for resources. This wall was also known as The Wall of Tears, or the Longest Graveyard in the World, due to the severe number of people who would die under its tyrannical construction. The Qin Dynasty saw the standardization of currency, weights, measures, road-measurements, writing systems, which also lead to improved trade, agriculture, and military security. Though this period was short, it was one of the most influential dynasties in Chinas history. Chinas own name has been thought to have been derived from this era.

( Qin Wall )

The Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty succeeded the Qin Dynasty in a popular peasant-lead revolt. This golden age (of Chinese golden ages) was a time of economic prosperity and technological advancement. To keep the peace between the nomads and the dynasty, a political marriage alliance was negotiated. However, with the continued invasions of the nomads, Emperor Wu decided to sever this alliance and campaign against nomads. To secure territories that were won, Wu and some successive Emperors (such as Emperor Gwangwu) constructed and contributed significantly to the Han Wall. Additional military campaigns expanded the Han Sovereignty, and helped establish a vast trade network known as the Silk Road. Coming from the western ends of the walls at the Jade Gate or the Yanguan pass (two of the Great Walls most famous passes), travellers were offered protection by the wall, and throughout the ages, brought many

artifacts, cultures, and religions to China.

( Jade Gate )

( Wooden Strips ) Wooden strips discovered near the western ends of the Han Wall by Aurel Stein, an Hungarian archaeologist, in the early 1900s reveals lives of the time in a variety of languages indicating that the fortifications were certainly an international thoroughfare. These strips also revealed that posts on the Wall were recognised as Hardship posts, and soldiers were compensated with bonuses. However, in latter times, these isolated posts, fending off raids, and corrupt officials did lead to significant demoralization and the weakening of walls.

( Han Wall )

( The First Becon Tower of Great Wall Ruins )

Northern and Sui Walls

Throughout the years, other dynasties have continued to add, mend, and fortify the Great Wall to prevent northern invasions. This continued even during the Northern Dynasties of the (Southern and Northern Dynasty), a time of civil war and political upheaval. Walls were constructed to protect against the nomadic Rouran and Turkic invasions. Such invasions produced the Northern Wei Wall, Northern Weis Sai Wei, Eastern Wei Wall and the various Northern Qi Walls.

Beginning in 581 AD, Emperor Wendi lead a re-unified China into the Sui Dynasty , a time of great economic prosperity. He oversaw large construction projects such as the completion of the Grand Canal and significant extensions and fortifications of the Great Wall and the Sui Wall. However, due to the tyrannical demands on the people, this dynasty has been compared to the Qin Dynasty in tenor and accomplishments. The dynasty eventually disintegrated with Wendis successor, Emperor Yang, who also extended the wall, but purely for demonstrating military might.

The Tang Golden Age

The following Tang Dynasty was a significantly prosperous high-point in Chinese civilization, a golden age of coexisting cultures. As the Tang rule presided over both sides of the wall, there was no strategic purpose for the defensive wall and structures, and as such, they were left to decay with time. Ongoing peace between the Tang empire and the mongols were maintained through the diplomatic marrying of princesses, a method that the Han Dynasty had initially tried with far less success. The suffering of these princesses moving from a cultured imperial upbringing to a nomadic lifestyle, have been immortalized in a poem written at the end of the second century before common era. My people have married me In a far corner of Earth: Sent me away to a strange land, To the king of the Wu-sun. The round tent is my palace, Its walls are made of felt, Dried meat is my only food, Koumiss is my drink. Endlessly I dream of my country, And my heart is all bruised. Oh to be the yellow swan That returns to its homeland! ***

Liao and Jin Walls

After a long 289 year reign (making the Tang Dynasty the longest imperial rule after the collective Han Dynasties (see timeline above) ), this golden era eventually ended in 907 AD. Periods of warring started up again, with northern defences again required by the northern dynasties of the time to protect themselves from northern invasions. The Liao Dynasty constructed additional defences, beacon towers, and garrisons, much further north of the original wall. Whilst the Jin Dynasty became known for their earth dike walls , the Mingchang Old Wall and Mingchang New Wall (also called the Inner Wall of Jin), which was an additional layer of defense closer to the city.

( Ruins of Jin Great Wall on the Border of Gannan County, Qiqihar, Heilongjiang )

( Great Wall of Jin Dynasty - source )

Empire of the Great Khan

From 1271 to 1368, China was considered a division of the Mongol Empire whilst also being ruled by the imperial Yuan Dynasty. The Mongol empire is commonly termed the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world, and owes much of its order and expansion to Genghis Khan. Kublai Khan (of the Khans), the emperor whom established the Yuan dynasty, officiated his grandfather, Genghis Khan, as the founder of the dynasty. Due to the size of this empire and the ruling class being originally nomadic, the Wall again fell into disuse. However, in the 1300s, the Black Death pandemic weakened the Mongol Empire, thinning resources, and contributing to the eventual decline of this dynasty in conjunction with native Han Chinese uprisings.

(Image of the Mongol Empire, See Introduction for Image of Yuan Dynasty )

The Stone Dragon

The Ming Dynasty saw the (last) re-establishment of an era ruled by ethnic Han Chinese people. Emperor Hongwu founded the Ming dynasty, and attempted to create self-sufficient rural communities, holding onto the Confucian viewpoint that merchants were redundant. As such, the economic system emphasized agriculture, which also provided funding for protection, with Earth dikes (much like those of Jin tradition) constructed to protect agricultural lands from raids. The Han people were still quite resentful of their previous nomadic rulers and the series of battles that were begun in the uprisings against them continued into this era. A loosing series of wars escalating with the Battle of Tumu prompted the Ming dynasty to pull back their

territory and fortify areas they had more control over, resulting in the construction of the most popular and existing Great Wall, the Ming Wall. Also known as the Stone Dragon, winding across the landscape in accordance with Feng Sui, it was the only wall to extensively use stone in its construction. Much forethought was given to the strategic positioning and design of various structures of this defense system, such as the inwards drainage system, the construction of defenses at peak altitudes, and the placement of its eleven garrisons.

( Most popular tourist sites of the Great Wall - at Ming Wall around Beijing, (Search for Great Wall of China on Flickr Maps) ) The design and construction of this system was an engineering marvel, a characteristic that is reflected in a story describing the design of the Jiayuguan pass. A legend tells of a designer whom was asked to estimate the exact number of bricks required to build Jiayuguan pass, when his number was challenged, the designer added one extra brick. Upon completion of the pass, one brick remained, which was placed above one of the gates to where it remains today.

( The famous brick at Jiayuguan pass. - Source)

( The Ming Wall )

Despite the strength of the Ming Wall, it was let down in 1644 when General Wu Sangui opened the gates at Shanhai Pass to the northern Manchu army lead by Prince Dorgon with the (presumed) intention of warding off the rule of rebellious peoples, lead by Li Zicheng, in the short lived Shun Dynasty (concluding in April 1644 after its founding in February).

The Last Dynasty

Though Wus actions did not restore the Ming Dynasty, it did give way to the final imperial dynasty which lasted to 1911 under Manchu rule. To avoid factors that resulted in the previous downfalls of nomadic dynasties, the Qing Dynasty began with the establishment of inter-racial posts. It was also in this era, during the early 1790s, that the Macartney embassy visited China with the intention of establishing trade. However the embassy failed, not because Earl Macartney did not conform to local customs, but due to opposing world views of two great civilisations, one whom had evolved on Confucius and cultural beliefs of closed self-sufficiency and another on expansion.

( The Macartney Embassy before Emperor Qianlong - Source ) During the embassys presence, Macartney took a short interest in the wall, admiring the might it represented and writing that to build this wall China must not have been just a very powerful empire, but a very wise and virtuous nation. Though Macartney mistook the date of the wall he was looking at was built, his views have influenced European views of the Wall ever since. In modern times, these views have also been said to have lead to a great appreciation of the Wall by the modern Chinese. The embassy revealed how unprepared the Dynastys systems and beliefs were for later invasions by sea, foreign military, political, and trade incursions that China had no Walls to barricade itself against.

Conclusions

( A map of major walls through time ) Spanning millenia, the Great Wall of China has influenced, and been influenced, by the evolution of Chinas dynasties. Through fortifications, additions, and destructions, this defense system stretched over 8000 kilometres, winding across contrasting landscapes, and an embodiment of evolving Chinese beliefs and philosophies such as Confucius and Feng Shui. It has been an extension to many great empires, of many people, and sites of many pivotal historical events. Though many of its sections have now decayed and eroded with time, many parts still stand untouched in the barren landscapes they were constructed, with new ruins being discovered as recently as 2009. With sections observing the march of man above impossible peaks, and hidden underneath the sands of time, the Great Wall represents the might and power of ancient civilisations and the many walls, both physical and invisible, that China has built around itself throughout history.

Technical Process
This report was the product of a large search for information related to the Great Wall of China. The heurist database was used to store certain pieces of data found. Initial scouring of information with introductory sources such as wikipedia and general video documentaries, and then information search was focused on more specific data. Much data had to come from multiple data sources to ensure relevancy as certain pieces of data could vary from source to source and be of different quality. Logical estimations were made on the most relevant and repeated sets of data. Due to this process, and the expansive search for related data, a lot of contextual information was trimmed from the final database and report. The significant quantity of information used also warranted many quotes when describing summaries of the record types associated with the Great Wall in the Heurist database. The record types to be associated with the Great Wall were concluded to be; People, Events, Artifacts, and Structures. Each related to one another. The record type Period arose out of a need to better chronicle such records in the context of Chinese history. To ignore existing, unrequired and undeletable fields in heurist, all fields that were actually used were marked as recommended or required, and optional otherwise (in order to hide them during input). Various new field types and vocabularies were constructed, mainly for establishing relationships as relationship_markers or pointers. It was later discovered that relMarkers could not be imported so they were all manually set. Enums were also used with introduced vocabularies for Structures - their type and material. However, though enum values succeeded during delimineted importing, they could not be retained when record data was edited - nor could heurist consistently identify all the types of vocabularies, hence these were replaced by a freetext field. As well as importing data to Heurist from data that was initially summarised and parsed into a spreadsheet, it was also used to export data. For example, certain parts of the dynasty data were exported from heurist so a timeline could be graphed. This was tried in google spreadsheets (see here), as it was believed that it could be embedded effectively, but it was later decided, that external images were more appropriate. Geospatial data was also attempted for various record types, however, the inability to turn on maps, or properly build any related visualisations in heurist, lead to the decision that this was better substituted with external images (especially if the data inputted would have no use and could not contribute to the final report).

The ability to visualise the relationships established in the database was quite interesting, and occasionally insightful. Throughout the process of building the database and adding data, the presentation of relationships in heurist really showed off how the data should be ideally structured (such as the proper use of interpretations and notes for quotes etc., an understanding that would be carried onto future projects). Due to the limited time and shortness of the report, much more in-depth information regarding specific artifacts, people, events, etc. were transferred to the heurist database and connected to the report via hyperlinks. This was certainly a beneficial and extensive learning experience, and from this project, I have gained a very broad knowledge on Chinese history and also a very deep understanding on other aspects of its elements.

Future Work
Given more time I would have liked to explore using geospatial data properly in heurist to map certain persons, artifacts and events to the world and to a timeline. Mapping the changing areas occupied by the dynasties and the great wall was of particular interest. I also would have liked to utilise the search function more proficiently in heurist, with joins across multiple tables (and ways of avoiding heurist crashing when certain characters were used in a saved search). With more geospatial and temporal flexibility, and perhaps a higher focus on a variety of visualisations and their access in heurist, certain preparations would be done in GIS software such as ArcGis. Such processes would involve rubber-sheeting various existing maps, tracing routes, features, and shapes, tagging this data accordingly, and exporting it to heurist or a variety of mediums such as Google Earth, Maps, web plugins, (and other previously mentioned services) for display and interaction. Such data can also lead to augmented-reality tourist experiences, and of significant note; three-dimensional immersive educational simulations. It was interesting to note, that throughout my research, I came across no service that effectively collated the evolution of the Great Wall (perhaps due to the many causal relationships it holds), however such a collection of information in any form, such as the experiences mentioned above, even in simple extensive written form, would have a large educational benefit. ~

Bibliography
The following is a list of links that were saved and listed due to constant visits. Additional links and resources (including papers) consisting of brief, but more explanatory and contextual information, were not bookmarked. The most significant resources were Wikipedia, travelChinaGuide, and Video Documentaries.
SBS: Documentary: Bob Wurth: China's Great Wall (Video Documentary) Inside the Great Wall of China: Facts (Video Documentary) National Geographic Great Wall Of China http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/qianlong.html http://college.cengage.com/history/primary_sources/world/edict_on_trade_gb.htm http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/cities/china/dh/deflife.html http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/cities/china/dh/yumen1.html http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/sogdlet.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tumu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_books_and_burying_of_scholars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_proper http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Wall_of_Nanjing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Wall_of_Nanjing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorgon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynasties_in_Chinese_history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Han_Dynasty#Eastern_Han http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Jin_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Zhou_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Guangwu_of_Han http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Wenxuan_of_Northern_Qi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Wu_of_Han http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Yang_of_Sui http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Yang_of_Sui http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Dynasties_and_Ten_Kingdoms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Macartney,_1st_Earl_Macartney http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_Qi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Taiji http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongwu_Emperor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongwu_Emperor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Mongolia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Mongolia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Dynasty_(1115%E2%80%931234) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Zicheng http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liao_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liao_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaodong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligden_Khan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macartney_Embassy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchuria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meng_Tian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolia_during_Qing_rule http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Song_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordos_Desert http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rammed_earth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rammed_earth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanhai_Pass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shun_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunzhi_Emperor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_and_Northern_Dynasties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_Period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sui_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sovereigns_and_Five_Emperors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_Period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Han_Dynasty#Western_Han http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Jin_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Palisade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhuan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xia_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xianbei http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xin_Dynasty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuan_Dynasty http://heuristscholar.org/h3/ http://maps.google.com/ http://stein.mtak.hu/en/large/121.htm http://worldtourobject.com/world-tour-great-wall-of-china/ http://www.888beijing.com/great_wall_of_china.html http://www.gotit.co/mobile-wallpaper/15251/great-wall-of-china/ http://www.great-wall-of-china.org/ http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/2c/texts/1792QianlongLetterGeorgeIII.htm http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-chinas-great-wall-visible-from-space http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/construction/structure.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/han/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/jin/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/jin/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/ming/garrison.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/northern-and-southern-dynasties/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/qin/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/qin/mengtian.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/sui/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/sui/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/history/zhou/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/beijing/juyongguan.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/beijing/juyongguan.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/gansu/yumenguan.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/shanxi/pianguan.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/shanxi/pianguan.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/shanxi/yanmenguan.htm

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/shanxi/yanmenguan.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/han/emperor_wu.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/jin_dynasty/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/jin_dynasty/