TheGreatWallofChinaisaChinesefortificationbuiltfromthe5thcenturyBCuntilthebeginningofthe17thcentury,inordertoprotectthevariousdynastiesfromraidsbyHunnic,Mongol,Turkic,andothernomadictribescomingfromareasinmodern-dayMongoliaandManchuria.Severalwalls,alsoreferredtoastheGreatWallofChina,werebuiltsincethe5thcenturyBC,themostfamousbeingtheonebuiltbetween220BCand200BCbythefirstEmperorofChina,QinShiHuang;thiswallwaslocatedmuchfurthernorththanthecurrentwallbuiltduringtheMingDynasty,andlittleofitremains.
TheGreatWallofChinawasoriginallyaprojectofQindynastydesignedtokeepoutthenomadicXiongnuinvadersfromthenorth.SomeofthewallwasbuiltduringtheQin,butmostofitthatweseetodaywasconstructedduringtheMingdynasty.
TheGreatWallistheworld'slongestman-madestructure,stretchingoveraformidable6,352km(3,948miles),fromShanhaiPassontheBohaiSeaintheeast,atthelimitbetween"Chinaproper"andManchuria(NortheastChina),toLopNurinthesoutheasternportionofXinjiangUygurAutonomousRegion.Alongmostofitsarc,itroughlydelineatestheborderbetweenNorthChinaandInnerMongolia.SeeListoflargestbuildingsintheworld
GreatWallisalltheChinesepride!