How long did it take to build the Great Wall of China?
Lots of conflicting answers here. The first Emperor (Qin Dynasty) ordered the construction of the original wall sometime around 221 B.C. That wall was completed within 11 years, but it is uncertain exactly how long it took to build. The Qin Emperor only reigned over a united China until 210 B.C. I’m pretty sure his wall was completed before his death–I don’t think the Han Emperor would have finished his hated predecessor’s work. The Qin wall is not the same Great Wall as the one we recognize today. Most of that wall is gone, destroyed mostly by erosion, though it was kept up for quite some time. A Ming emperor ordered a new wall built in 1449 A.D. in order to defend against Mongol invasions. That wall was far more durable and continues to stand today, though much of it is now in poor condition. The Ming wall took between 200 and 300 years to build, but most of the fortifications were completed by 1505.
There are many parts of china wall which was built by different emporer’s, The Great Wall of China was completed by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, in the span of nine years. All parts of the Great Wall of China, including some ruins of the first wall and remains of walls built by successive dynasties, were built over a period of more than 2000 years (8th century BC – 17th century AD).
Great Wall of China Facts
The answer to how long it took to build the Great Wall of China depends on what you are referring to – it could be as short as nine years or as long as two thousand years. The first wall that could be referred to as the Great Wall of China was completed by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, in the span of nine years (sometime between 221 BC – 206 BC). But he did so by connecting and expanding sections built by several kingdoms during the Spring & Autumn Period and Warring States Period, sections that were built over many centuries (8th century BC – 3rd century BC). The Great Wall as it is popularly imagined today was built over several hundred years during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). All sections of the Great Wall of China, including some barely visible ruins of the first wall and remains of walls built by successive dynasties, were built over a period of more than 2000 years (8th century BC – 17th century AD).
