Who built the Chinese wall and why. The Great Wall of China: the history and interesting facts of the symbol of China

The Great Wall of China is a unique structure, it seems to look like the body of a long dragon, spread over the territory of northern China. The length is more than 6400 km, the thickness of the wall is about 3 meters, and the height can reach 6 meters. It is believed that it was in the 3rd century BC that the construction of the wall began, and ended only in the 17th century AD. It turns out that according to the accepted historical version, this construction lasted almost 2000 years. Truly a unique building. History does not know such a long-term construction. Everyone is so accustomed to this historical version that few people think about its absurdity.
Any construction site, especially a large one, has a specific practical purpose. Who today would think of starting a huge building, which can only be completed in 2000 years? Of course, no one! Because it's pointless. Not only will this endless construction be a heavy burden on the population of the country, the building itself will be constantly destroyed and will have to be restored. What happened to the Great Wall of China.
We will never know what the first sections of the wall looked like, allegedly built before our era. They collapsed, of course. And those sections that have survived to our time were mainly built during the Ming Dynasty, that is, supposedly, in the period from the 14th to the 17th century AD. Because in that era, brick and stone blocks were the building materials, which made the construction more reliable. So historians are still forced to admit that this “wall”, which anyone can see today, appeared no earlier than the 14th century AD. But even 600 years is a fairly respectable age for a stone building. It is still not clear why this building is so well preserved.
In Europe, for example, medieval fortifications grew old and fell apart over time. They had to be disassembled and new, more modern ones built. The same thing happened in Russia. Many medieval military fortifications were rebuilt in the 17th century. But in China, these natural physical laws, for some reason, do not work ...
Even if we assume that the ancient Chinese builders had some kind of secret, thanks to which they created such a unique structure, historians do not have a logical answer to the most important question: “Why did the Chinese build a stone wall with such tenacity for 2000 years? Who did they want to protect themselves from? - historians answer: "The wall was built along the entire border of the Chinese empire to protect against nomadic raids ..."
Against the nomads, such a wall, as much as 3 meters thick, was not needed. Russians and Europeans began to build such structures only when cannons and siege weapons appeared on the battlefields, that is, in the 15th century.
But the point is not even in its thickness, but in its length. The wall, stretching for several thousand kilometers, could not protect China from raids.

First, in many places it passes at the foot of mountains and nearby hills. It is quite obvious that the enemy, having climbed to the neighboring peaks, could easily shoot down all the defenders on this section of the wall. From the arrows flying from above, the Chinese soldiers would simply have nowhere to hide.

Secondly, along the entire length of the wall, watchtowers were built every 60-100 meters. Large military detachments were to be constantly in these towers and monitor the appearance of the enemy. But back in the 3rd century BC, under Emperor Qin Shihuangdi, when 4000 km of the wall had already been built, it turned out that if the towers were installed so often, then it would not be possible to provide effective defense of the wall. Not enough all the armed forces of the Chinese empire. And if you put a small detachment on each tower, then it will become easy prey for the enemy. A small detachment will be destroyed before the neighboring detachments have time to come to his aid. If the defensive detachments are made large, but placed less often, then too long and unprotected sections of the wall are formed, through which the enemy can easily penetrate deep into the country.

It is not surprising that the appearance of such a fortification did not protect China from raids. But its construction greatly depleted the state, and the Qin dynasty lost its throne. New dynasty The Han no longer had much hope for the great wall and returned to the system of mobile warfare, but, according to historians, the construction of the wall, for some reason, continued. Strange story...

An interesting fact is that until the end of the 17th century, apart from the Great Wall of China, not a single large stone structure was built in China. But scientists say that the population of China waged constant wars among themselves. Why didn't they fence themselves off from each other with walls and build stone kremlins in their cities?
With such experience as the construction of the great wall of China, it would be possible to cover the entire country with defensive structures. It turns out that the Chinese spent all their means, forces and talents only on the construction, in general, useless from a military point of view - the Great Wall of China.

But there is another historical version of the construction of the Great Wall of China. This version is not as popular with historians as the first, but more logical.
Great Wall was indeed built along the border of China, but not to protect against nomads, but as a designation of the boundary between the two states. And its construction began not 2000 years ago, but much later, in the 17th century AD. That is, the famous wall is no more than 300 years old. An interesting historical fact speaks in favor of this version.
According to the official historical version, by the middle of the 17th century, the northern lands of China were severely depopulated, and in order to protect these lands from the settlement of Russians and Koreans, in 1678, Emperor Kangxi ordered that this border of the empire be surrounded by a special fortified line. Its construction continued until the end of the 80s of the XVII century.
The question immediately arises why the emperor needed to build some kind of new fortified line, if a huge stone wall?
Most likely, there was no wall there yet, therefore, in order to protect their lands, the Chinese began building a line of fortifications, because it was at that time that China was waging border wars with Russia. And only in the 17th century, both sides agreed on where the border between the two states would pass.

In 1689, an agreement was signed in the city of Nerchinsk, which fixed the northern border of China. Probably the Chinese rulers of the 17th century gave very great importance Nerchinsk Treaty, therefore, they decided to mark the border not only on paper, but also on the ground. So along the entire border with Russia there was a border wall.
On the map of Asia of the 18th century, made by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam, two states are clearly visible, China and Tartaria. The northern border of China runs approximately along the 40th parallel, and the Chinese wall also runs exactly along the border. Moreover, it is highlighted with a thick line and the inscription: "Muraille de la Chine" - which in French means: "The Wall of China." The same can be seen on many other maps issued after the 17th century.

Of course, it can be assumed that the ancient Chinese foresaw 2000 years ago where the Russian-Chinese border would pass, and in 1689, the two states simply took and drew the border already along the wall that stood here, but in this case, it would certainly have been specified in the contract, however, in the Nerchinsk Treaty there is NO mention of the wall.
For several decades, scientists around the world have been sounding the alarm. One of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China, is rapidly collapsing! And indeed, in some places, the height of the wall has decreased to two meters, where the observation towers have completely disappeared, several tens of kilometers of the wall have been completely lost, and hundreds of kilometers continue to rapidly collapse. And this is despite the fact that over the past few centuries, the wall has been repeatedly repaired and restored, why hasn't it been destroyed at such a pace before? Why, after standing for more than two thousand years, the wall began to rapidly turn into ruins?

Scientists blame climate, ecology, Agriculture and, of course, tourists. Every year, 10 million people visit the wall. They go where they can and where they can't. They want to see even those sections of the wall that are closed to the public. But it's probably something else...
The Great Wall of China is being destroyed in a completely natural way, as all such structures were destroyed. 300 years is a very respectable age for a stone building, and the version that the great Chinese long-term construction is 2000 years old is a MYTH. As is much of China's history itself.
P.S. There is also another version on the Internet that the Great Wall of China was not built by the Chinese at all. In those days, in China, almost nothing was built of stone, except for this wall. Moreover, the loopholes on the old, not restored sections of the wall are located only on the south side. Unfortunately, I have not been to China and cannot say with certainty whether this is actually the case. Photographs, which determine the south side by the sun's shadow, cannot be taken as evidence. As you know, the wall does not go in a straight line, the directions are completely different, the sun can shine both from the south and from the north side of the wall, roughly speaking.

The most recognizable symbol of China, as well as its long and vibrant history, has become. This monumental structure consists of numerous walls and fortifications, many of which run parallel to each other. It was originally conceived to protect against nomadic raids by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (circa 259-210 BC). Great Chinese Wall(China) became one of the most grandiose construction projects in the history of mankind.

The great Wall of China: Interesting Facts

The VKS is the longest wall in the world and the largest building of antiquity.
Stunning scenery, from the beaches of Qinhuangdao to the rocky mountains around Beijing.

Consists of many sections-plots:

Badaling
- Huang Huangcheng
- Juyongguan
- Ji Yongguan
- Shanhaiguan
- Yangguang
- Gubeyka
- Giancu
- Jin Shang Ling
- Mutianyu
- Symatai
- Yangmenguang

Length of the Great Wall of China

Contrary to popular belief, the wall is not visible from space without a good approximation.
Already during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), glutinous rice dough was used for construction as a kind of material for fastening stone blocks.
The labor force at the construction site was military personnel, peasants, convicts and prisoners, naturally not of their own free will.
Although officially 8851 km, the length of all branches and sections built over thousands of years is estimated at 21,197 km. The circumference of the equator is 40,075 km.

There is a popular legend about Meng Jing Niu, whose husband died at a construction site. Her weeping was so bitter that the Great Wall of China collapsed, revealing her husband's bones, and his wife was able to bury him.
There are still traces of bullets in the Gubeiku section, there was a fierce battle here in the past.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), many stones were stolen from the wall to build houses, farms and reservoirs.

The northwestern sections of the wall (for example, in the provinces of Gansu and Ningxia) are likely to disappear within 20 years. The reason for this is as natural conditions as well as human activity.
The most famous part of the Great Wall, Badaling, has been visited by over 300 heads of state and dignitaries from all over the world, the first being Soviet politician Klim Voroshilov in 1957.

The Great Wall of China (China): the history of creation

Significance: The longest fortification ever built by man.
The purpose of the construction: the protection of the Chinese empire from the Mongol and Manchu invaders.
Significance for tourism: the largest and at the same time the most popular attraction in China.
Provinces in which the Great Wall of China passes: Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu.
Start and End: From Shanhaiguan Pass (39.96N, 119.80E) to Jiayu Belt (39.85N, 97.54E). Distance directly - 1900 km.
Nearest section to Beijing: Juyongguan (55 km)

Most visited site: Badaling (63 million visitors in 2001)
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills. Great Wall of China, China extends from the Bohai coast, in Qinhuangdao, around the northern part of the Chinese Plain, through the Loess Plateau. Then it goes along the desert province of Gansu, between the Tibetan plateau and the loess hills of Inner Mongolia.

Altitude above sea level: from sea level to more than 500 meters.
Most right time of the year to visit the Great Wall of China: the sites near Beijing are best visited in spring or autumn. Jiayuguan - from May to October. Shanhaiguan pass - in summer and early autumn.

The Great Wall of China is the largest cemetery. More than a million people lost their lives during its construction.

How the Great Wall of China was built
Everyone is interested How was the Great Wall of China built? structures. Here is the whole story chronologically.
7th century BC: Feudal warlords began building the Great Wall of China.
Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC): already built sections of the wall were joined together (along with the unification of China).
206 BC - 1368 AD: Rebuilding and expanding the wall to prevent nomads from plundering the land.

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644): The Great Wall of China reached its greatest extent.
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911): The Great Wall of China and surrounding lands fell to the Manchu invaders in alliance with a traitor general. Maintenance of the wall ceased for more than 300 years.
Late 20th century: Various sections of the Great Wall of China became architectural monuments.

Great Wall of China on the world map:

The first sections of the wall were built in the 7th century BC. e., at a time when China was still divided into many small states. Various princes and feudal rulers marked the boundaries of their possessions with these walls.

United Great Wall

During the reign of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC), after the unification of various Chinese territories into one whole, the first emperor of the Celestial Empire, Qin Shi Huang, connected the walls of three northern states Qin, Zhao and Yan. Emperor Qin Shi Huang you have probably heard of if you know anything about the Terracotta Army. These combined areas formed the first Wan Li Chang Cheng - 10,000 Li Wall. Li is an ancient Chinese measure of length equal to half a kilometer.

History of the Great Wall of China

Since then, for more than 2 thousand years, during the reign of various imperial dynasties, the Great Wall of China has been destroyed, rebuilt and lengthened many times. To accomplish these tasks, which require titanic efforts and colossal expenditures of various resources, millions of Chinese went to the northern borders of the Celestial Empire. The main task of creating a wall has always been an attempt to protect the Chinese empire from the Mongol and other conquerors. Most of the sections of the Great Wall that we see today were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). In some areas, one can also observe an interesting pattern: two different walls, built during the reign of different dynasties, are adjacent to each other.

Functions of the Great Wall of China

military function: The Great Wall of China is not just a wall. Various defensive structures were built in its area, such as fortresses, passes and watchtowers. Troops were stationed in the created military camps, food, ammunition and ammunition were stored. Sections of the wall were also used as important points for the collection and transmission of military information.

Infrastructure and Development: The clashes between China and its northern neighbors can also be seen as a confrontation between two economic systems: agricultural and nomadic. The Great Wall of China provided protection for the economic achievements of the Middle Kingdom and contributed to its economic development and cultural progress. The Great Wall protected trade routes such as the Silk Road, served as a means of collecting and transmitting information, and was an important transportation point.

Tourism and construction material: Today the world has completely changed. Some of the sections of the Great Wall of China have become some of the most significant tourist attractions in the world. The Great Wall of China no longer serves the purposes that were important in the old days. But does this mean that now local residents can use the stone slabs of the Great Wall for construction own house? At one time, this happened with Hadrian's Wall in the UK. This is still happening with the Great Wall of China these days. One of the important tasks for China is to convey to the people of the country information about the significance and value of the Great Wall of China. See the section

The most grandiose wonder of the world - the Great Wall of China, which has a length of almost nine thousand kilometers, is perceived today by us far from being a fortification against enemy raids, but only as a unique ancient monument. For this reason, few people think, but on which side of this wall were those very enemies?

The Chinese Wall was not built by the Chinese

But in 2011, British archaeologists unearthed an unknown part of the Chinese Wall, and came to extreme amazement: its loopholes were directed towards modern China. It turns out that the famous wall was not built by the Chinese, then by whom and from whom?

From the north of Ancient China lived nomadic tribes who could hardly build such a grandiose structure. And in general, scientists considered that even with modern technologies it would take tens of thousands of kilometers to build such a wall railways, involve hundreds of thousands of machines, cranes and other equipment, abandon tens of millions of people and spend at least hundreds of years on all this.

In ancient times, there were no such opportunities, which means that it took more than one thousand years to build a giant wall, in comparison with which even the Egyptian pyramids seem like toys in a sandbox. Why and who needed it, because it is meaningless from both an economic and a military point of view. But someone built this wall, most likely, possessing more high technology what we have today. But who? And for what?

The Chinese wall was built by the Slavs

The medieval geographical atlas of Abraham Ortelius, released back in 1570, helped answer this question. It could be seen that modern China is divided into two parts - southern China and server Catai. It was between them that a wall was laid, which, apparently, was built by the inhabitants of the mysterious Tartaria, which occupies the territory of Siberia and Far East modern Russia And northern part modern China.

The ancient vessels found in the northern provinces of China back in the sixties of the last century, but deciphered quite recently, completely shed light on this mystery. Paradoxical as it may seem, they were written in runic - ancient Slavic writing. Yes, and in the ancient treatises of China, it is often said about white people who live in the northern lands and communicate directly with the Gods. These were the ancient Slavs, the descendants of Hyperborea, who lived in Tartaria. It was they who built the Great not Chinese, but the Slavic wall. By the way, on the rune the word "china" means only "high wall".

The truth about the Chinese wall is not needed by the powerful of this world

But against whom was this "high wall" built? It turns out that against the race of the Great Dragon, with which the White race of the Russians, who lived in Tartaria, fought for a long time. This battle at the level of two extraterrestrial civilizations ended with the great victory of the White race more than seven and a half thousand years ago. It is this date that the Slavs consider the beginning of the creation of the World, the ancient Slavic calendar began with it, which, to our regret, was canceled by Peter the Great.

And the fact that there was once a war of extraterrestrial civilizations, legends of many peoples of the world say, naturally, it is reflected in the traditions of the Slavic and Chinese people. So why didn't these civilizations leave any traces on Earth? It turns out that they did, and the Great Wall of China is not the only unique evidence of this. A lot of such artifacts have been found, but no one is in a hurry or even dares to publish all this data: firstly, then you need to rewrite all history and geography, and secondly, for many peoples, say, the same Americans or Chinese, this is not at all profitable .

Even we Russians cannot restore our true history - the history of the ancient Slavs, which, as it turns out, goes back not centuries, but millennia. However, watch the new documentary film "Ancient Chinese Russia", where you will find answers to these and many other questions that modern "fundamental" science is silent about.

Today it is believed that the Chinese began to build their Great Wall of China as early as the 3rd century BC. e. They were built to protect against northern nomads. Current state The walls are shown in fig. 37 and 38. On this occasion, N.A. Morozov wrote:

“One thought that the famous Chinese wall, 6 to 7 meters high and up to 3 meters thick, stretching for THREE THOUSAND KILOMETERS, was started by the construction back in 246 BC by Emperor Shi-Hoangti (aka Shi Huang Di - Initial Honored Emperor - Auth.) and WAS FINISHED ONLY AFTER 1866 YEARS, BY 1620 AD, so absurd that it can only annoy a serious historian-thinker. After all, any large building has a predetermined practical purpose ... Who would have thought of starting a huge building, which can only be completed in 2000 years, and until then it will be only a useless burden for the population ... Yes, and to be preserved as well as now, the Chinese Wall could only if it is no more than a few hundred years old”, vol. 6, p. 121–122.

Rice. 37. Great Wall of China. Taken from, vol. 6, p. 121.

They will tell us that the Chinese have been protecting and constantly repairing their Wall for two thousand years in a row. Doubtful. It makes sense to repair only a not very old building, otherwise it will become hopelessly outdated and simply fall apart. What we observe, by the way, in Europe. The old defensive walls were dismantled and new, more powerful ones were built in their place. For example, many military fortifications in Russia were rebuilt in the 16th century.

Rice. 38. Great Wall of China in modern form. Taken from, v. 21.

But in China, things were allegedly quite different. We are told that the Wall of China was built and stood for TWO THOUSAND YEARS. Historians do not say that modern wall recently built on the site of an old one. No, they claim that today we see exactly the wall that conscientious Chinese workers erected two thousand years ago. In our opinion, this is extremely strange, to say the least.

When and against whom was the Wall built? It is easy to give an approximate answer. As we have already said, “Chinese” history up to the 15th century A.D. e. actually unfolded in Europe. Therefore, the Chinese Wall could only be created NOT BEFORE THE XV CENTURY AD. That is, when chinese history"settled" in modern China. And they built the Wall, of course, not against arrows and spears with copper or even stone tips of the 3rd century BC. Against which a stone wall three meters thick is simply not needed. Walls such as China's were already erected against wall and firearms. And they began to build them no earlier than the 15th century, when GUNS appeared on the battlefields, including SIEGE GUNS. On fig. 39 we give another image of the Chinese Wall. It is very interesting that ancient authors also called it THE WALL OF GOG AND MAGOG, vol. 1, p. 294. So asserted, for example, Abulfeda.

Against whom did they build a wall? We cannot give an exact answer yet. This requires additional research.

However, let us express the following thought, which will simultaneously indicate the dating of the Wall that we propose.

Apparently, the Great Wall of China was built primarily as a structure marking the BORDER between China and Russia. And only partially it was conceived as a military defensive structure - moreover, it was hardly ever used in this capacity. Defend 4000- kilometer wall, from. 44, from an enemy attack is POINTLESS. Even if it stretches "only" for one or two thousand kilometers. The wall in its current form is only slightly short of 4,000 kilometers.

L.N. Gumilyov wrote: “The wall stretched for 4 thousand km. Its height reached 10 meters, and watch towers rose every 60-100 meters. But, when the work was completed, it turned out that all the armed forces of China were not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall (as if this could not have been figured out BEFORE construction began - Auth.). In fact, if a small detachment is placed on each tower, then the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and give help.

Rice. 39. Great Wall of China. It turns out that it was also called "The Wall of Gog and Magog", vol. 1, p. 293–294. Taken from, vol. 1, p. 293.

If, however, large detachments are spaced less often, then gaps are formed through which the enemy will easily and imperceptibly penetrate deep into the country. A FORTRESS WITHOUT DEFENDERS IS NOT A FORTRESS", p. 44.

What is the difference between our point of view and the traditional one? We are told that the Wall separated China from the nomads in order to secure the country from their raids. But, as A.N. Gumilyov, such an explanation does not stand up to scrutiny. If the nomads wanted to cross the Wall, they would have easily done so. And not just once. And anywhere.

We offer a completely different explanation. We believe that the Wall was built primarily to DESIGNATE THE BORDER BETWEEN THE TWO STATES. And it was built when an agreement was reached on this border. Apparently in order to exclude border disputes in the future. And such disputes, probably, were. Today, the agreed parties draw the border ON THE MAP (that is, on paper). And they think that this is enough. And in the case of Russia and China, the Chinese side, apparently, attached such great importance to the treaty that they decided to immortalize it not only on paper, but also on the ground itself, drawing the Wall along the agreed border. This was more reliable and, as the Chinese probably thought, should have eliminated border disputes for a long time.

The length of the Wall itself speaks in favor of this assumption. Four thousand kilometers may well be a LONG BORDER between the two states. But for a purely military structure, such a length is meaningless.

But after all, the northern border of China has changed many times over its allegedly more than two thousand years of history, which has passed since the construction of the Wall. What do historians tell us about? China either united, then divided into separate states, lost and acquired some lands, etc.

But then we have a wonderful opportunity to not only test our idea that the Wall was from the very beginning the BORDER of China, but also presumably DATE the construction of the Wall. For if we can find a RELIABLE DATED old map, on which the BORDER OF CHINA PASSES EXACTLY ALONG THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA, then this will mean that, most likely, IT WAS BUILT AT THIS TIME.

Today the Wall of China is INSIDE China. Was there a time when it passed EXACTLY ON THE BORDER? And when was it? By answering these questions, we will get an approximate dating of the Wall.

Let's try to find a GEOGRAPHICAL MAP, on which the Wall of China runs EXACTLY ON THE NORTHERN BORDER OF CHINA. It turns out that SUCH CARDS REALLY EXIST. Moreover, there are many of them. These are maps of the 17th-18th centuries AD.

Take, for example, an 18th-century map of Asia made by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam. The map is part of a rare 18th century atlas. The inscription on the map reads: L "Asie, Dresse sur les observations de l" Academie Royale des Sciences et quelques autres et Sur les memoires les plus recens. Par G. de l "Isle Geographe a Amsterdam. Ches R. & J. Ottens, Geographes dans le Kalverstraat au Carte du Monde. See Figure 40.

On this map we see two large states in Asia: Tartaria (Tartarie) and China (Chine). See Figure 41 and our drawing of the map in Figure 42. China's northern border runs roughly along the 40th parallel. THE WALL OF CHINA IS VERY CLOSE TO THIS BORDER. Moreover, on the map, the Wall is DESIGNATED as a thick line with the inscription Muraille de la Chine, that is, "the high wall of China" in French.

We see the same Chinese Wall, with the same inscription on it, on another map of 1754 - Carte de l "Asie, taken by us from a rare atlas of the 18th century. See Fig. 43. Here the Chinese Wall goes EXACTLY along the border between China and Great Tartary See Fig. 44 and drawing in Fig. 45.

Rice. 40. Map of Asia from an atlas of the 18th century. Made in Amsterdam. L "Asie, dresse sur les observations de l" Academy Royale des Sciences et quelques autres, et sur les memoires les plus recens. Par G. de l "lsle Geographe. a Amsterdam. Chez R. & J. Ottens, Geographes dans le Kalverstraat au Carte du Monde. Taken from.

We see literally the same thing on another map of Asia of the 17th century, placed in Blaeu's famous 1655 world atlas. See Figure 46. The Wall of China goes exactly along the border of China, and only a small part of its western section is already inside China.

It is also important that the cartographers of the 18th century GENERALLY DECIDED TO PLACE THE CHINESE WALL ON THE POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD, which indirectly indicates that the Wall HAVE A SENSE OF A POLITICAL BORDER. After all, they did not depict other wonders of the world. For example, there are no Egyptian pyramids on this map. And the Chinese wall was painted.

Rice. 41. Fragment of a map of Asia from an 18th century atlas. It is clearly seen that the Wall of China runs exactly along the border of China. The wall is not only depicted on the map, but is directly called the "Chinese Wall": Muraille de la Chine. Taken from

The Great Wall of China is depicted on a color map of the Qing Empire in the second half of the 17th–18th centuries from an academic 10-volume World History, from. 300–301. This map shows the Great Wall in detail, with all of its little twists and turns in the terrain. For almost its entire length, it goes EXACTLY ON THE BORDER OF THE CHINESE EMPIRE, with the exception of a small westernmost section no more than 200 kilometers long.

Rice. 42. Our drawing of a fragment of an 18th-century map of Asia depicting the Great Wall of China. Map taken from .

Rice. 43. Eastern part of the map of Asia from the atlas XVIII bek. Taken from .

Rice. 44. A fragment of a map of Asia from an atlas of the 18th century. The Great Wall of China runs exactly along the border of China. It is not only depicted on the map, but also directly named " Chinese wall»: Muraille de la Chine. Taken from .

Rice. 45. Our drawing of a fragment of a map from 1754. "Carte de I" Asie. 1754. It is clear that the Great Wall of China runs exactly along the northern border of China. The map is taken from.

Rice. 46. ​​A fragment of a map of Asia from Blaeu's atlas of 1655. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China, and only a small part of its western section is located inside China. Taken from .

Rice. 47. The Great Wall of China on the map of allegedly 1617, running exactly along the border between "China" (China) and Tartaria. Taken from, p. 190–191.

Rice. 48. An enlarged image of the Chinese Wall, which plays the role of the border between the "China" and Tartaria. From a map allegedly dated 1617. Taken from, p. 190–191.

On the map of allegedly 1617 from Blaeu's Atlas, we also see the Chinese Wall, running EXACTLY ON THE BORDER between "China" - that is, China - and Tartaria (TARTARIA), Fig. 47 and 48.

Exactly the same picture is observed on the map allegedly from 1635 from the Blaeu Atlas, p. 198–199. Here, exactly along the border between China-China (CHINAE) and Tartaria, the Great Wall of China runs, fig. 49 and 50.

Rice. 49. The Chinese Wall goes exactly along the border between Chyna and Tartary on a map allegedly from 1635. Taken from Blaeu's Atlas, p. 198–199.

Rice. 50. An enlarged fragment depicting the Chinese Wall as a border between states. Taken from, p. 199

In our opinion, all this means the following. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA WAS PROBABLY BUILT ONLY IN THE 17th CENTURY TO DESIGN THE STATE BORDER BETWEEN CHINA AND RUSSIA.

And if, after all these maps, someone still insists that the Chinese, they say, built their Wall anyway in the 3rd century BC, then we will answer like this. Maybe you are right. Let's not argue. However, in this case, it will be necessary to admit that the “ancient” Chinese had such an amazing gift of foresight that they accurately predicted exactly how the state border in northern China would pass in the 17th-18th centuries of the NEW ERA. That is - there are two thousand years after them.

We may be objected: the wall was not built along the border, but, on the contrary, the border between Russia and China was drawn in the 17th century along the ancient Wall. However, in this case, the Wall would have to be mentioned in a written Russian-Chinese treaty. But there are no such references, as far as we know.

But if the Great Wall of China is indeed the border between Russia and China, then EXACTLY WHEN was it built? Apparently, in the 17th century. No wonder it is believed that its construction was “completed” only in 1620, vol. 6, p. 121. And maybe even later. We will return to this issue in the next chapter.

And immediately it is remembered that EXACTLY in the 17th century there were BORDER WARS between Russia and China. See S.M. Solovyov, "History of Russia since ancient times", vol. 12, chapter 5, . Probably, only at the end of the 17th century did they agree on the border. And then they built the Wall to FIX THE CONTRACT.

Did the Wall exist in some form before the 17th century? Apparently not. As we now understand, in the XIV-XVI centuries, RUSSIA AND CHINA STILL MADE ONE EMPIRE. It is believed that China was conquered by the "Mongols", after which it became part of the Great = "Mongolian" Empire. Therefore, there was no need to build a Wall on the border. Most likely, such a need arose only after the Great Troubles. early XVII century and the seizure of power in Russia by the pro-Western Romanov dynasty. Then Turkey separated from the Empire and heavy wars began with it. China also separated. The Manchurian dynasty needed to build a wall to secure the border of the state they had created. Which is what was done.

By the way, many "ancient Chinese" chronicles speak of the Great Wall. So what year were they written? It is clear that after the construction of the Wall, that is, not earlier than the 17th century A.D. e.

And one more interest Ask. Have any powerful stone fortifications erected earlier than the 17th century, that is, before the Manchu rule over China, survived in China? And also stone palaces and temples? Or did the Great Wall, before the arrival of the Manchurs in the 17th century, stand in China in splendid isolation as the ONLY powerful stone fortification in the whole country? If so, then very strange. Really, in the two thousand years that allegedly elapsed since the construction of the Wall, did it not occur to the Chinese to build many other structures, even remotely comparable to the Wall? After all, we are told that China's long history has been filled with internecine wars. Why, then, did the Chinese not fence themselves off with walls from each other? According to the logic of historians, in two thousand years, all of China should have been partitioned off by a wide variety of Great - and not very great - walls. But there is nothing like it.

In Europe and in Russia, for example, a lot of stone fortifications have been preserved. If the Chinese built a gigantic stone structure two thousand years ago, generally useless from a military point of view, then why didn't they use their wonderful talents to build really needed stone kremlins in their cities?

If the Wall was built, as we assume, only in the 17th century and was ONE OF THE FIRST grandiose stone buildings in China, everything falls into place. Since the 17th century, there have been no major internecine wars in China. Until 1911, the same Manchurian dynasty ruled there. And after it, in the 20th century, no one built stone fortresses for military purposes. They are no longer needed.

Apparently, it is even possible to more accurately indicate the time of the construction of the Great Wall of China.

As we have said, the Wall was apparently erected as a border between China and Russia during the border disputes of the 17th century. ARMED COLLISIONS between the two countries flared up from the middle of the 17th century. The wars went on with varying success, p. 572–575. Descriptions of the wars are preserved in the notes of Khabarov.

The agreement that fixed the NORTHERN BORDER OF CHINA WITH RUSSIA was concluded in 1689 in Nerchinsk. Perhaps there were earlier attempts to conclude a Russo-Chinese treaty. Therefore, it is to be expected that the Great Wall of China was built sometime between 1650 and 1689. This expectation is justified. It is known that the Chinese emperor (bogdykhan) Kangxi “began to implement his plan of FORCING THE RUSSIANS FROM THE AMUR. Having built a CHAIN ​​OF FORTIFICATIONS IN MANZHURIA (! - Auth.), in 1684, the Bogdykhan sent the Manzhur army to the Amur, vol. 5, p. 312. The portrait of the Bogdy Khan Kangxi according to the drawing of the 18th century is shown in Fig. 51.

Rice. 51. Chinese Bogdykhan. (Emperor) Kangxi (1662-1722), during which, probably, the construction of the Great Wall of China began. From an 18th century drawing. Taken from, vol. 5, p. 312.

What kind of CHAIN ​​OF FORTIFICATIONS was built by Bogdy Khan Kangxi by 1684? In our opinion, this refers to the construction of the Great Wall of China. A CHAIN ​​OF FORTIFIED TOWERS CONNECTED BY A WALL.

Figure 52 shows an early 18th century engraving showing the Russian embassy passing through the Great Wall of China. It is worth noting that the Wall depicted here bears little resemblance to a real military fortification. For example, both passages in the towers, through which the road from Russia to China is laid, are COMPLETELY devoid of ANY GATES OR BARRIER GRATES, Fig. 53. Both through passages through the Wall are quite high and spacious. They are not protected by anything! The thickness of the wall, judging by the figure, is quite small. So, from a military-defensive point of view, the Wall depicted in Figure 54 is rather meaningless.

Rice. 52. Antique image titled: “The Russian embassy passes through the gates of the Great Wall of China. Engraving from the book by I. Ides. Beginning of the 18th century. This Wall is not like the China Wall we are shown today. It is much narrower than modern and there is no wide passage along its top. And today in China, a much thicker “ancient” Wall with a wide road on top has already been built. Taken from, p. 143.

Rice. 53. An enlarged fragment of an old engraving of the 18th century depicting the travel towers of the Chinese Wall. The passage through them is wide and high. No gates and bars in the towers are visible. Such a wall is in no way capable of serving as a serious military-defensive structure, but it may well mark the border between the two states. Taken from, p. 143.

The Great Wall, which the Chinese show to visitors today, is arranged in a significantly different way. It has become much thicker and a wide road now runs along its top, fig. 55. The question is, when was it built in this form? Is it not in the 20th century? By the way, the road leading along the top of the modern Chinese Wall looks like it was made for tourists to walk, and not for warriors to run under a hail of arrows. It's a wide road that opens up beautiful views to the neighborhood. Figure 56 is a photograph of the China Wall believed to have been taken in 1907. But, perhaps, this photo was taken much later or heavily retouched. It is possible that a significant contribution to the construction of the "ancient" Chinese Wall was made in the 20th century, already under Mao Tse Dun, when it was necessary to create an outstanding symbol of the greatness of the "ancient" China. The wall was completed, expanded, in some places they rebuilt from scratch ... And they said that, they say, it has always been like that.

Rice. 54. The current state of the Great Wall of China. It has already been made quite thick and a wide road runs along its top. Probably - a remake for tourists. Taken from, p. 362.

Rice. 55. Photograph of the Great Wall of China, allegedly taken in 1907 (which, however, is doubtful). Taken from, p. 122.