Archaeologists discovered new sections of the Great Wall of China | Daily Mail Online

06-09

It"s even greater than we thought! Archaeologists discovered NINE new sections of the Great Wall of China

Discovery means Qin Dynasty Great Wall can finally be fully traced

The 6-mile stretch is thought to date back more than 2,000 years

Historical records suggested the stretch existed but physical evidence has never been found until now

China』s first emperorbuilt it to stop invaders crossing the Yellow River

ByEdward Chowand Emily Chan For Mailonline

Published: 16:22 GMT, 16 April 2015 | Updated: 18:17 GMT, 16 April 2015

Archaeologists have discovered a previously unknown stretch of the Great Wall of China in the northwestern of the country, thought to date back more than 2,000 years.

Experts say the new 6.2 mile-stretch (10 kilometres) means the full range of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall can be traced for the first time.

Nine sections of the Wall have been found over the last two months along the inner coast of the Yellow River in Gansu province and the Ningxia region, reported thePeople"s Daily online.

Still standing: New sections of the Great Wall discovered by a team of experts in northwestern China

Historic: This stretch, measuring more than 6 miles long, is thought to date back more than 2,000 years

Remote: The ruins range along the inner coast of the Yellow River in Gansu province and the Ningxia region

The new stretch, ranging between Jingyuan County and Nanchangtan village, was discovered by a team led by Zhou Xinghua, renowned Great Wall researcher and the former head of Ningxia Museum.

Historical documents had suggested that the Emperor Qin ordered for the Great Wall to start in Gansu province and run east into the Ningxia region and Inner Mongolia, but physical evidence in this particular area has never been found until now.

Mr Zhou said China"s first emperor ordered for the stretch to be built along the Yellow River to stop invaders crossing it when it was frozen.

While parts of the Great Wall date back to about 700 BC, the first complete Wall was built during the reign of China"s first emperor, Qin Shihuang, from about 220 BC after the country had been unified for the first time.

The newly discovered section of the wall was constructed using stones and rammed earth, with some parts built on top of the mountain ranges and others running along valleys.

Some of the ruins are only three feet high due to natural degradation, but originally the wall could have been as tall as 20 feet.

Other sections:Archive photos of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall which is thought to be built around 215 AD

Landmark: A monument is placed near the ruins of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall, which was built by the first emperor to have unified China

There are no surviving records of the exact length of the Qin Wall, and much of the original wall has eroded away leaving few sections behind.

The Great Wall is actually made up of many different structures built across northern China and southern Mongolia over a number of dynasties.

The best known and most visible section today is the Ming Wall, constructed from 1368 to 1644.

The formidable fortress covers approximately 5,500 miles from the Jiayu Pass in Gansu province and the Shanhai Pass in Hebei province.

However, it was revealed in 2012 that the Wall is actually 13,170 miles long – more than double the previous estimate.

CHINESE UNIVERSITY SPENDS MILLIONS BUILDING THEIR OWN GREAT WALL

A Chinese university is spending nearly ￡450,000 on building their very own Great Wall of China.

Wuhan Institute of Bioengineering is currently constructing the replica as a patriotic educational tool that will also get students doing more exercise, according to the People"s Daily Online.

The "Campus Great Wall" will act as a walkway that connects the university"s two sites, covering a distance of 1.6 kilometres – more than 13,000 times shorter than the original.

Replica: Students at theWuhan Institute of Bioengineering are climbing their own Great Wall on campus

The university said the project, which is yet to be completed, is "not a cheap replica" and the wall looks to copy the original as closely as possible.

The project aims to provide students with an opportunity to get to grips with the country"s rich cultural history through copies of carvings from the original, as well as famous paintings and poems.

A spokesman for the university said in a statement: "It fulfils a patriotic educational purpose as the Great Wall is a historic achievement by the Chinese people".