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title: The Great Wall
description: The absolute pinnacle of ancient military architecture, stretching across thousands of kilometers of northern Chinese frontiers.
llms_summary: "The Great Wall. (Beijing, Beijing, China). TouristAttraction. Annual Visitors 10 million. Buffer Zone 0 ha. Category Type Cultural. Conservation Status Active Monitoring. Epoch Origin Qin to Ming Dynasties (3rd C. BCE). Latitude 40.43 °. Longitude 116.57 °. Primary Material Tamped Earth & Stone. Property Area 2.2M ha. UNESCO ID 438. Year Inscribed 1987. Best for strategic military planners, ancient engineering analysts, and macro-history scholars.  The absolute pinnacle of ancient military architecture, stretching across thousands of kilometers of northern Chinese frontiers.  canonical profile on Chrisyst Datasets"
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indexed_at: "2026-07-16T13:15:13.715Z"
license: citation-free
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---
# The Great Wall

The absolute pinnacle of ancient military architecture, stretching across thousands of kilometers of northern Chinese frontiers.

## Record

- **Title**: [The Great Wall](https://datasets.chrisyst.com/the-great-wall/index.md)
- **Geo target**: Beijing, Beijing, China
- **Website**: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/438
- **Address**: Huairou District, Beijing, Beijing, 101405, China
- **Coordinates**: 40.4319, 116.5704

### Summary

The absolute pinnacle of ancient military architecture, stretching across thousands of kilometers of northern Chinese frontiers.

### Description

## Strategic Defensive Shield

Begun in the third century BCE and continuously consolidated through the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall is not a single continuous wall but a vast network of fortifications, including walls, trenches, and natural barriers. Its primary purpose was to protect the Chinese states and empires against nomadic incursions from the Eurasian Steppe. The most well-preserved and iconic sections, predominantly built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), feature robust masonry construction, reaching heights of 6 to 9 meters and widths of 4 to 5 meters at the top, allowing for troop movement and cavalry.

This monumental defensive system stretches over 21,000 kilometers in its entirety, incorporating thousands of watchtowers, beacon towers, and garrison stations. These structures served not only for defense but also for communication, using smoke signals and flags to relay messages across vast distances. The Great Wall stands as a profound symbol of Chinese civilization's enduring strength and ingenuity, reflecting centuries of imperial ambition and the collective effort of millions of laborers, making it one of the most significant architectural feats in human history.

### Attributes

- **Annual Visitors**: 10 million _(quality 80)_
- **Buffer Zone**: 0 ha _(quality 10)_
- **Category Type**: Cultural
- **Conservation Status**: Active Monitoring
- **Epoch Origin**: Qin to Ming Dynasties (3rd C. BCE)
- **Latitude**: 40.43 ° _(quality 50)_
- **Longitude**: 116.57 ° _(quality 50)_
- **Primary Material**: Tamped Earth & Stone
- **Property Area**: 2.2M ha _(quality 100)_
- **UNESCO ID**: 438
- **Year Inscribed**: 1987 _(quality 99)_