How long is the Great Wall of China?

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This question seems easy, but it is actually a very complicated question. Because over the dynasties the Great Wall was eroded, built, rebuilt and extended many times. The latest construction took place in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the length was then over 6,000 kilometers. This is the wall often referred to when we talk about the Great Wall.

But according to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping Agency in 2009, the latest data of the length of the Great Wall is 8851.8 km, which is 2000km longer than the past data.

In Chinese history, mainly 3 dynasties built the great wall in large scale: Qin dynasty, Han dynasty and Ming dynasty. Qin dynasty is the first dynasty of China, and Emperor Qin Shi Huang is the first emperor of China. He built the Chinese Great Wall which was 5,000 kilometers long. Great Wall in Han dynasty was the longest which reached 10,000 kilometers. Ming dynasty Great Wall is about 6,000 kilometers. Most of the walls we see today are Ming Great Walls.

On June 5th, 2012, after four years of investigation, with concerted efforts of over 4,000 technicians, it came to a conclusion that the accurate length of the Great Wall is 21,196.18 kilometers, including all the walls built in different dynasties around China.

But it is that if all the fortified walls built in the different dynasties around northern China are included, the total length would exceed 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles).

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