The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China

What is The Context?

The construction of the Great Wall began with various fortifications that  were built in 771 BC. From 475- 220 B. C, the Great Wall Of China the was ordered by Qin Shi Huang to be connected, in order to protect his new Qin Dynasty. Construction continued under the power of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Great Wall continued construction for several hundred years through several dynasties. The great wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago for military protection purposes against invasion from nomads from inner Asia. The wall is composed of rammed earth and hard labor. The wall expands through mountains and forests that makes for beautiful scenery. The immensity of this sculpture overwhelms all visitors who walk tiny portions of its incredible length. By the year 212 the length of the wall was from Gansu to the coast of southern Manchuria. Once claimed to be seen from space, this sculpture is of an unbelievable size. The Great Wall is known as the world's largest military structure. The total length of the Great Wall of China is 5,500.3 miles! In total about 2,000 years were spent on building and rebuilding the Great Wall of China into its impressive size and history it has today.

What is the Artist Communicating and How?

The Great Wall of China is perhaps one of the most well known pieces of Architecture in the world. More well known than other part of China (other than rice) it acts as a strong symbol of the country for the rest of the world. I think that the creators of the Great Wall of China helped to communicate the story of China through the construction of the Wall. The construction of this monstrosity took place over such a huge amount of time and through so much of China's history. Through the course of 2,000 years, China was ruled by several dynasties that helped to build up China to the powerful country it is today. The Great Wall of china is often used as a description of the strength of China and its powerful history. As the strength of the wall grew, so did the strength of the country of China. It also demonstrates the ability for them to work hard together for the good of the country. 300,000 soldiers and 500,000 commoners all worked together in the construction of the wall. Many of these people died during the construction of this wall. The Wall exemplifies a culture of preserving cultural heritage, and greater openness to the outside world, as China's biggest tourist attraction.The Great Wall demonstrates the unification of China because China became the most unified during the construction of the Wall. Two themes communicated by the artists are strength and unity. Strength is demonstrated by the material that the wall was made with. Unity is demonstrated by all of the rocks places together by so many people to make such a significant wall.

Why Do I Find This Beautiful?

Although the wall itself is unbelievable, I think the location and the scenery around it adds to its beauty. Visiting this art over the summer, it was an amazing and overwhelming experience. The sheer length, time and labor also makes this beautiful. The Great Wall of China is recognized as a wonder of the world to everyone in the entire world. Even before visiting the Wall I was so captured by its beauty, size, and history. I do agree with the ideas that it was communicating. I believe that it is amazing, strong symbol of the Chinese and their history. One reason why I believe that this is more beautiful than any other architecture is because I simply believe it cannot be compared to anything else. The simple concept that something this large and beautiful could be made before any of the technology we have today blows my mind. The wall was built practically by hand makes every part of the wall have that much more value. When I visited, I looked at the wall and was constantly struck by the questions, “How much of this wall did the average person contribute? Who made this part of the wall? Who hauled these enormous rocks that make up this part?”. It amazes me how hundreds of thousands of people died for the construction of this Wall is unbelievable.