关于中国长城的几个问题

Some Issues on the Great Wall in China

关于中国长城的记载至迟可以追溯至公元前408年齐国长城和秦国的“堑洛”长城。韩国以外的战国“七雄”都兴修过长城。为了抵御北方的匈奴,秦与西汉王朝都在北边修筑长城。北魏、北齐、北周、隋朝也曾经修筑长城以抵御北方的柔然和突厥。现存的明长城总长约为6 700公里。一般来讲,长城修筑于边陲以抵御外来骚扰或侵犯,但是长城并非都是王朝或政权的边界,如战国时期齐国、赵国的长城以及西汉长城、隋长城、明长城。为了适应军事防御需要,历代长城多有分歧,而非单一的一重蜿蜒城墙。长城的修筑一般就地取材,一般用土夯实,薄厚不一。当然,也有不少长城用石头垒成。

Records about the Great Wall can be tracked back to Qi’s Great Wall and Qin’s“Qianluo”Great Wall in 408 B.C..Seven powers in the Warring-states Period built the Great Wall except the Han State.In order to defend enemies in the northern frontiers,many later dynasties such as Qin,Western Han,Northern Wei,Northern Qi,Northern Zhou,Sui,and Ming built walls along the borders.The extant Great Wall built by the Ming Dynasty is about 6700 kilometers.Generally speaking,the Great Wall was built to defend foreign harassment or encroachments,but conditions were not always so,such as the Great Wall built by the Qi State and the Zhao State during the Warring-states Period,the Western Han,the Sui,and the Ming dynasties.To adapt to the need of military defense there was never just one great wall but many branches throughout dynasties.In general,the Great Wall was made of rammed earth and the thickness of the wall was different,and there are also some parts made of stones.