The Great Wall, an iconic representation of ancient China, is celebrated as the longest wall on Earth. It served as an impressive military defense system throughout Chinese history, extending over immense territories and integrating numerous cities, forts, and signaling beacons. The initial construction of the Great Wall can be traced to the Western Zhou Dynasty, with the legendary narrative of "Fenghuo Xi Zhou" (The Zhou Lords' Contest with Fire) closely tied to its history. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, as various states vied for power and sought protection, the construction of walls reached its initial peak. However, these early walls were relatively short in length.
Historical evolution: The construction of the Great Wall originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty when the Zhou Dynasty constructed a series of interconnected fortifications, known as "Lie Cheng," to deter attacks from the northern nomadic tribes, the Yan. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, states constructed walls along their borders for defensive purposes. The earliest known wall was the "Chu Fang Cheng" constructed in the 7th century BC. Subsequently, states like Qi, Han, Wei, Zhao, Yan, Qin, Zhongshan, and others built "feudal state mutual defense walls" for self-protection. Qin, Zhao, and Yan, which border the powerful nomadic tribe, the Xiongnu, also constructed "Hu Rejection Walls" in the north. These walls were further reinforced and extended by subsequent dynasties.
At this time, the walls featured varying directions - east, south, west, and north - and were relatively short, ranging from several hundred kilometers to 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers. To distinguish these walls from the later 10,000-kilometer-long wall built by Qin Shi Huang, historians refer to them as "Pre-Qin Great Walls."详情
