How Was the Great Wall of China Made?

The Great Wall of China was constructed using a variety of materials and techniques, evolving over centuries to become the monumental structure we recognize today. From the 7th through 4th century bce, states like Chu and Qi constructed walls to defend themselves from their rival states. After his unification of China, Emperor Qin Shi Huang (reigned  221–210 bce) ordered the connection of several existing walls to form a continuous defense line. Later dynasties continued to expand and reinforce the wall. The Ming dynasty (1368–1644 ce) brought about the most extensive and well-preserved sections of the Great Wall.

As it stands today, the Great Wall of China is usually about 21.3 feet (6.5 meters) wide at the base and 19 feet (5.8 meters) at the top. Its average height is 23–26 feet (7–8 meters). The structure of the wall varies from place to place, depending on the availability of building materials. Many portions are made of tamped earth sandwiched between wooden boards, adobe bricks, a brick-and-stone mixture, rocks, or pilings and planks. Some sections make use of existing river dikes; others use rugged mountain terrain such as cliffs and gorges to take the place of man-made structures. In the western deserts the wall is largely a simple structure of rammed earth and adobe. In the east the wall is faced with stone and includes a number of secondary structures and devices.