Feature No. 1 –
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Background Information, Purpose and Influence on Society -
The Great Wall , is generally built along an east-to-west line across the northern borders of China and was built to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions from the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe. The wall is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, rice, some human corpses and other materials. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC. These were later joined together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. The defensive characteristics of the Great Wall were enhanced by the construction of watch towers, troop barracks, garrison stations, signaling capabilities through the means of smoke or fire, and the fact that the path of the Great Wall also served as a transportation corridor. Other purposes of the Great Wall included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration. The Great wall may have been built to protect China, but the building of it caused grief to the families of those who died in the making. The official length of the Great Wall is 21,196.18 km long and cannot be seen from space by the human eye without aid. It is over 2,300 years old and the majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty. [1] [2] [5] |
Feature No. 2 – Terracotta Warriors
Background Information, Purpose and Influence on Society - The emperor Qinshihuang lived a luxury life before his death, so he wanted to live a similar life after his death, so he made so many terracotta warriors to accompany him and protect & guard him. The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. The figures were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District. It was later found that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses. Other non-military terracotta figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.
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