The Great Wall, standing for over two thousand years, why has it never collapsed? A secret that cannot be told.

xuelianzi - yesterday

Have you ever pondered a question?
In modern society, with all sorts of high-tech technology and machinery that double efficiency, the buildings we construct and the roads we repair, either collapse here or there.

Yet, our ancestors, relying solely on human power, built a 20,000-mile-long wall with stones.
Although it has been more than two thousand years.
Yet it still stands firm, enduring wind and rain without falling.

Is there some astonishing mystery hidden within?
Some say it's because Emperor Qin Shi Huang employed a very "cruel" method.
What exactly was it? And why can't modern architecture adopt it?

The Origins of the Great Wall

In everyone's perception, the "Great Wall" is a significant decision made by the "charming ancestor" Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
However, the history of the Great Wall's construction can be traced back to the Western Zhou period, with a famous allusion serving as a prime example.

This is the well-known story of "Beacon Fires Play the Feudal Lords".
At the end of the Western Zhou period, King You of Zhou had a beautiful concubine named Bao Si.
To make his beloved smile, he lit the beacon fires, repeatedly deceiving the feudal lords.

In historical records, the design of the beacon fires is similar to the watchtowers on the Great Wall.
When an emergency occurred, soldiers would light the beacon fires, causing滚滚浓烟 to rise swiftly.
Feudal lords in the distance, seeing the signal, knew the capital was in danger and rushed to the rescue.

It can be seen how foolish King You of Zhou was to play the feudal lords with beacon fires!
Yet the wisdom of the ancients in establishing the beacon fires commands admiration and praise from later generations.
Thus, after the Western Zhou period, various states added walls on the basis of the beacon fires.
They could both transmit signals and serve as a defense for their territories.

During the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, with the contention of powerful states, the construction of the "Great Wall" undoubtedly entered its peak period.
However, the defensive walls built by each state were relatively short and could not be connected.

It was not until the Qin dynasty annihilated the six states and unified the world that the "Great Wall" began to be officially constructed.

Historically, Qin Shi Huang is often portrayed as a "tyrant".
But from another perspective, was he not also a monarch with determination and wisdom?
The Great Wall created one of the world's great wonders and is a magnificent military defense project.

Although Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, the barbaric and warlike Xiongnu remained a significant threat.
Faced with this threat, he understood that military force alone was far from enough.
Moreover, each war consumed a tremendous amount of manpower and resources, and victory was by no means guaranteed.

If one were to gamble money and soldiers' lives on the ever-changing brutal battlefield,
It would be better to build the Great Wall, which could effectively repel all foreign invaders.
This project was guaranteed to be effective, a "sure win" compared to warfare.

Before the Qin dynasty, the Great Wall built by various states was called the "Pre-Qin Great Wall."
It was divided into the Northern and Southern Great Walls based on different geographical locations.

Realizing the significant military defense role of these walls,
Qin Shi Huang ordered the connection of the Northern and Southern Great Walls and mobilized the entire nation to build the Great Wall.

The Great Wall, standing for over two thousand years, why has it never collapsed? It turns out that Qin Shi Huang used a cruel method.

Since the Qin dynasty, every dynasty has built and reinforced the Great Wall on the existing foundation.
Because every emperor understood the great significance of the Great Wall and approved of Qin Shi Huang's wise decision.
This is enough to prove that Qin Shi Huang was far-sighted, a person with great wisdom and military strategy.

However, giving orders is just a matter of words.
But to realize this great project, it is more difficult than climbing to the sky.
How did Qin Shi Huang realize his idea?
How did the ancients manage to make the Great Wall stand for thousands of years?

There is a clever method in construction, "cruel" but very effective.
As mentioned above, Qin Shi Huang mobilized the entire nation to build the Great Wall.
Such a difficult project would definitely not be possible without enough manpower and resources.
So, he called upon nearly a million labor forces from the whole country.

Actually, the first phase was not so exaggerated.
Because they only needed to connect the "Pre-Qin Great Wall."
Qin Shi Huang sent Meng Tian to recruit people along the way, to be completed jointly by the army and civilian forces.

But when it came to the later construction of the new Great Wall, the army could not bear it.
Qin Shi Huang was determined to mobilize millions of labor forces from the whole country to join the project.
You should know that this number accounts for one-twentieth of the total population at that time.
The newly built Great Wall is also different from the Pre-Qin Great Wall, mostly built on the ridges of mountains.
This超高的建筑难度无疑为长城的建造雪上加霜。
If it were not for "violent coercion," how many labor forces could bear such intensity.

To maximize efficiency, local materials were used in the construction of the Great Wall.
The hard mountain body was chiseled into pieces of stone, and then cut into roughly the same shape and size by craftsmen.
Then transported to the designated location and bonded together using a unique method.
The whole process relies entirely on human labor, and the tools used are also very simple.
It can be imagined how much suffering the workers building the Great Wall had to endure.
However, what is more tormenting is the "secret" of the Great Wall's solidity.
Able to stand for thousands of years without falling, the solidity of the Great Wall has been tested by time.

If the stones were simply piled up, or if they were not firmly bonded,

Let alone resisting foreign enemies, a gust of wind could easily crush one's own people.
If soldiers were to ride horses and patrol on the city wall, a slight movement might cause it to collapse instantly.

Therefore, how to make the stones bond firmly has become a top priority.