Who built the Great Wall? There are many answers. Some say Emperor Qin Shihuang. Some say ordinary working people of ancient China, and some say that it was slaves who built the wall. This is not an easy question to answer, just like the wall was not easy to build. 
Statue of Great Wall Builder
Experts have given us the most credible answer. As early as the Warring States Periods (476 BC - 221 BC), the ruling powers began to build walls as a defense against the northern nomadic tribes and other potential enemies. The state of Chu (11th Century BC-223BC) was the first to build a wall, followed by the Qi, Yan, Wei, Zhao and Qin. After Emperor Qin Shihuang unified the six states, he ordered General Meng Tian to connect the existing walls and to extend them further as a front line defense against possible invasion. Thus the Great Wall of China was formed. It extended from Lintao (present Lintao County in Dingxi City in Gansu Province) in the west and ended at Liaodong (present the eastern and southern parts of Liaoning Province) in the east. It was called "Wan Li Chang Cheng" (The Long Wall of 10,000 Li).
Three groups of people built the wall. They were soldiers, common people and criminals. Many people died during its construction, due to the heavy work, short time limit and tough condition. An accurate number of those who died is unknown.
Statue of A Soldier
Guarding the Great Wall
During subsequent dynasties, the wall was extended, repaired or modified. The section of wall built in Han Dynasty (206BC-220) is the longest. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the wall was substantially repaired on more than twenty occasions. Today, the best known and most visited sections of the wall are at Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai and Jinshanling and these were built in the Ming Dynasty. They were all built to protect the people and territories south of the wall from a continued threat of invasion by the northern nomadic tribes.
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Travelers' Voices on Who, When and Why Built the Great Wall
1.
Nov. 10,2009 16:03 Reply
Mr.ryan(united states) said:
ive been to the great wall but i never really learned about it and i want to kn y it was built
Nov. 10,2009 19:48
Mr.rain replied:
It was built to protect the people living in the central land from being invaded by the northern nomadic tribes.
2.
Sep. 22,2009 11:31 Reply
Mrs.chatfield(usa) said:
hong long is the great wall of china?
8,851km (5,000miles)
Sep. 22,2009 20:05
Mr.Zhen replied:
No, it is 5,000 miles, you are halfly correct.
Nov. 9,2009 15:08
Mr.billy bob(usa) replied:
your answer is wrong the right answer is 50000 km
or 5500.3 miles
3.
Nov. 7,2009 16:37 Reply
Ms.November(USA) said:
HI
why did they build the great wall and WHY?
wht materials did they use?
please answer back i need to know because i have to do an assignment on The Great Wall of China - Ancient History
PLEASE HELP!!!!
xx Ms November
Nov. 7,2009 20:59
Ms.Angel replied:
They built the great wall to protect the people in central area from being attacked by the northern nomadic tribes. They used stones or bricks to build the wall.
4.
Oct. 29,2009 19:37 Reply
Ms.4th Grader(USA) said:
Why did they build the wall?It's not clear.
Oct. 30,2009 04:29
Mr.Gavin replied:
They were all built to protect the people and territories south of the wall from a continued threat of invasion by the northern nomadic tribes.
5.
Sep. 17,2009 10:05 Reply
Mr.Treelover(UK) said:
Not a bad sourse of information, but need a little more beef, but thanks for the assistance!
Oct. 29,2009 19:35
Ms.4th Grader(USA) replied:
Normal people , like farmers , built the wall.Other people , like prisoners , helped too. Every boy over 18 or 4' tall was forced to help.If a person died while helping build the wall,his family had to replace him!
6.
Aug. 27,2009 09:00 Reply
Mr.elisha(India) said:
you don't actually say how it was built and what materials was used inorder to build the wall...May you please add more information about how it was built and what materials was used
Aug. 29,2009 20:32
Mr.peanut replied:
The wall was built by laying pieces of bricks and stones on the mountains, for more information, you can read the passage in this page
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/construction/
Oct. 29,2009 19:26
Ms.Graham(USA) replied:
The wall was built of stone,grass,brick,and earth.
7.
Oct. 27,2009 19:04 Reply
Ms.Mushroom(Canada) said:
Where does the the great wall of china end too?
Oct. 28,2009 01:02
Ms.Jessica replied:
In Jiayuguan PASS, but new survey found more further sections in Qinghai Province.
8.
Oct. 25,2009 13:07 Reply
Ms.Cole(USA) said:
how many sections is the great wall of china. and how many years did it take to build it.
Oct. 25,2009 19:57
Mr.Green replied:
The Great Wall of China has many sections starting from Liaoning Province and ends at Qinghai Province, and it takes about 2,000 years to build it.
9.
Oct. 15,2009 12:09 Reply
Mr.balakrishna(Austria) said:
Vienna,15-10-2009
If Beijing is within the wall our outside? How far away from Beijing?
balakrishna
Oct. 15,2009 21:36
Ms.Adeline replied:
Great Wall has many sections. Badling Great Wall is about 80km from downtown Beijing. One hour ride on Tourist Bus will get you to Badaling from downtown Beijing.
10.
Sep. 20,2009 12:37 Reply
Mr.Fahim Khan(Pakistan) said:
having read this info, may i ask is it true that known history dates back to 7 bc when wall construction began. Please educate if this is incorrect or incomplete info i added.
Sep. 20,2009 20:23
Ms.Ruby replied:
Yes, Mr.Fahim Khan, you are totally correct.