The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China has a long history of construction and is a majestic project. The Great Wall intersects east, west, north and south, and stretches across the vast land of China. Like a giant dragon, it climbs over the towering mountains, crosses the vast grasslands, crosses the vast deserts, and rushes towards the vast sea. According to historical documents, more than 20 vassal states and feudal dynasties built the Great Wall. If the Great Walls built in various eras were added up, the length would be more than 100,000 miles. Among them, the length of the Great Wall built in the Qin, Han and Ming dynasties all exceeded 10,000 miles. Our country’s provinces, cities, and autonomous regions such as Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Henan, Shandong, Hubei, and Hunan all have relics of the ancient Great Wall and beacon towers. Among them, the Great Wall in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region alone is more than 30,000 miles long.

In addition to the "Outer" Great Wall, the Ming Dynasty also built the "Inner" Great Wall and the "Inner Three Passes" Great Wall. The "Neiguan" Great Wall is based on the Northern Qi Dynasty. It starts from the west of Pianguan at the junction of Inner Mongolia and Shanxi. It goes eastward through Yanmen Pass and Pingxing Pass and enters Hebei Province. Then it turns northeast and passes through Yuanyuan, Fangshan and Changping counties. Juyongguan, and then from north to east to the Siguan Pass in Huairou, connecting with the "outer" Great Wall, with Zijingguan as the center, running roughly in a north-south direction. The "Inner Three Passes" Great Wall runs parallel to the "Inner Border" Great Wall in many places, and in some places the two cities are only tens of miles apart. In addition, a large number of "heavy cities" were also built. There are 24 "important cities" in the Yanmenguan area.

"Using danger to control blockades due to terrain" is an important experience in building the Great Wall. It was affirmed by Qin Shihuang, and Sima Qian wrote it in "Historical Records". Every subsequent dynasty built the Great Wall in accordance with this principle. Whenever the Guancheng Pass is built, it is always chosen between two mountains and canyons, or at the turning point of the river. Or it must be a place that must be passed between Pingchuan and Pingchuan. This can not only control dangerous points, but also save manpower and materials, so as to achieve the effect of "one man can guard the pass, and ten thousand men cannot open it". Building castles or beacon towers is also done in "important places". As for building city walls, they make full use of the terrain. For example, the Great Walls at Juyongguan and Badaling are built along the backs of mountains. Some sections can be seen from the outside of the city wall. The outside is very steep, but the inside is very gentle, which has the effect of "easy to defend but difficult to attack". In Liaoning, the Great Wall in Liaodong Town in the Ming Dynasty had a type of wall called steep mountain wall or split gable wall, which used steep cliffs and slightly chipped them to form the Great Wall. There are also some places that completely use cliffs, rivers and lakes as natural barriers, which can be said to be ingenious. As a great project, the Great Wall has become a precious heritage of the Chinese nation.

The defensive engineering construction of the Great Wall has accumulated rich experience in the construction process of more than 2,000 years. First of all, in terms of layout, Qin Shihuang summed up the experience of "using danger to control fortresses due to terrain" when building the Great Wall. This principle has been followed for more than 2,000 years and has become an important basis for military defense. In terms of building materials and building structures, many structural methods have been created based on the principle of "taking local materials and applying them according to the materials". There are structures such as rammed earth, stones, masonry, etc. In the desert, layers of red willow branches, reeds and sand are also used. This can be said to be an "ingenious" creation. Today, Yumenguan, Yangzhou, Gansu Guanhe Xinjiang also preserves the remains of this Great Wall from the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago.

The ancient city of Petra, Jordan

The ancient city of Petra, Jordan (Petra, Jordan)

Petra (Petra) is an ancient city in Jordan. It was carved out of the rock and is famous for the color of the rock. Petra is often called the "Rose Red City" because of its color. In fact, the rocks here are not just red, but also light blue, orange, yellow, purple and green.

The city of Petra is hidden in a narrow canyon. The building is carved into the cliff face and its rooms are hidden in the rock. Around 312 BC, the Nabataeans (ancient Arab tribe) settled here.

The city of Petra was located on the trade route from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean, so it became a popular stop for weary travelers across the arid countryside.

After the ancient Romans took over Petra in 106 AD, the city was still very prosperous. But later, as trade routes changed, Petra's importance was greatly diminished. It was eventually abandoned and was not discovered until 1812.

Brazilian Christ Statue

(Christ Redeemer, Brazil) There is a statue of Christ on Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro), which is about 38 meters high. Christ appears to be looking down lovingly at beautiful Rio de Janeiro. This statue of Christ was designed and created by a Brazilian named Heitor da Silva Costa and a French sculptor named Paul Landowski. It is one of the most famous monuments in the world. The production of the giant statue took *** four years and was finally completed on October 12, 1931. The huge statue of Christ opens his arms and seems to be welcoming visitors. Today, the Statue of Christ has become a symbol of the beauty of Rio de Janeiro and the passion of Brazilians.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu, Peru

The admirable city of Machu Picchu was built on On the ridge of Machu Picchu, 130 kilometers northwest of Cusco, it is more than 2,000 meters above sea level. It is the most important archaeological center in South America and therefore the most popular tourist attraction in Peru.

On the cliff side of Machu Picchu on the top of the mountain, people can admire the vertical cliffs with a drop of 600 meters to the Urubamba River. To combat altitude sickness, people can chew coca leaves, a fragrant herb that has many more benefits than penicillin. In 1981, 32,592 hectares of land surrounding Machu Picchu were classified as a "historic protected area" in Peru. This area includes not only the ruins themselves, but also the nearby landscape and flora and fauna, especially the locally produced orchids.

Machu Picchu was built by the Inca ruler Pachacuti around 1440 and was inhabited until 1532, when Spain conquered Peru. Archaeological discoveries (the interpretation of early colonial documents) show that Machu Picchu was not an ordinary city, but a rural retreat for Inca nobles (similar to a Roman hacienda). A large palace and temple dedicated to the Inca gods were built around the courtyard, as well as other houses for the maintenance staff. It is estimated that the number of people living in Machu Picchu did not exceed 750 at its peak, and even fewer during the rainy season when no nobles visited.

The Inca Kingdom may have chosen to establish its city here due to its unique geographical and geological features. It is said that the outline of the mountain behind Machu Picchu represents the Inca's face looking up to the sky, while the highest peak of the mountain, Huayna Picchu, represents his nose. The Incas believed that stone should not be cut from the earth, so they found scattered stones from around them to build their cities. Some stone buildings do not even use mortar, and are entirely completed by precise cutting and stacking. The gaps between the stone blocks on the finished walls are less than 1 millimeter wide.

About 400,000 people visited Machu Picchu in 2003, and UNESCO expressed concern about the damage caused to the site by mass tourism. Peruvian authorities insist this is not a problem and that the site's remoteness poses natural constraints to tourism. There have been suggestions to build a cable car at the site, but so far it has not been approved.

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's most famous work, "Top of Machu Picchu" inspired by Machu Picchu: "I saw ancient stone buildings embedded in the verdant Andean peaks between.

Torrents flowed from the castle that had been eroded by wind and rain for hundreds of years..."

Mexican Pyramid

(Chichen Itza, Mexico) The design data of this pyramid are of astronomical significance. Its base is square, with stairs facing due north, south, east and west. There are 91 steps on each side. The number of steps and step platforms respectively represents the number of days and months of the year. There are 52 carved patterns. The stone slabs symbolize the 52-year cycle of the Mayan calendar. These positionings are obviously carefully considered.

A magnificent four-story pyramid to the east of the Kukulkan Pyramid is called the Temple of the Warriors. In front and south of the temple is a large group of square or round stone pillars, called the "Thousand Pillars Group". These stone pillars used to support huge palaces. At its entrance is a supine human figure carved from a huge stone. The Mayans called it the "Chacmor" statue. Behind it are two Quetzalcoatls with wide mouths. There are many stone buildings in the old city of Chichen Itza within a few kilometers of this central area. They are all sites from the same era.

Kukulkan" is a Mayan word that means "Feathered Serpent Wind God". The Pyramid of Kukulkan is the tallest building in the ancient city of Chichen Itza, covering an area of ??about 3,000 square meters. It is built on top of each other with nine floors, and the top of the tower is 30 meters high. The base of the tower is square, getting smaller as you go up. There are 91 steps on all sides leading to the temple on the top platform of the tower. In order to protect this building, except for important guests, ordinary tourists are not allowed to enter. There is a passage under the base of the pyramid on the north side that leads to the inside of the tower. It turns out that there is a steeper staircase in the tower, with 61 steps in total. There is also a temple at the top, which contains a stone statue of a jaguar with eyes inlaid with jade.

Quetzalcoatl is a god worshiped by the ancient Mexican Indians who is in charge of rain and harvest. The shape of Quetzalcoatl's head is very similar to the Chinese dragon. Many researchers around the world, including some scholars from Mexico and China, believe that the ancestors of Mexican Indians may have come from China, and that there may be some connection between the ancient civilizations of China and Mexico. Many ancient Mayan buildings have been excavated on the Yucatan Peninsula where the ancient city of Chichen Itza is located, but it is said that a large number of Mayan buildings are still buried in the vast tropical rainforest, waiting for archaeologists to discover.

The Colosseum, Italy

The Roman Colosseum, Italy

The Colosseum, also translated as the Colosseum Colosseum, Colosseum, Colosseum, Colosseum, Colosseum, formerly known as Amphitheater Flavium, located in the center of Rome, Italy today, was the largest amphitheater in ancient Rome. The Colosseum was built between AD 72 and 82, of which only the remains remain. The Colosseum was built for barbaric slave owners and gangsters to watch gladiator fights.

From the aspects of function, scale, technology and artistic style, the Colosseum is one of the masterpieces of ancient Roman architecture. The speed with which it was constructed is also a miracle.

The Colosseum is flat and oval, equivalent to the auditorium of two ancient Roman theaters facing each other. The long axis of the Colosseum is 188m and the short axis is 156m. The central "performance area" has a long axis of 86m and a short axis of 54m. There are about 60 rows of seats in the auditorium, which rise row by row and are divided into five areas. The first area is for honorary seats, the last two areas are for lower-class people, and the middle area is for knights and other citizens with higher status. The seats of honor are more than 5m higher than the "performance area", and there is also a height difference of more than 6m between the lower audience seats and the knights' seats. Security measures for the upper class of society are very strict. The uppermost auditorium is backed by the facade wall. The total rising slope of the auditorium is close to 62℅, and the viewing conditions are very good.

The Colosseum was built by three emperors of the Flavian dynasty, and its official name is the Flavian Arena. Its construction was part of a series of campaigns launched by the families of this new dynasty to improve their standing with the public.

Vespasian (AD 69-79) was the founder of this dynasty. He was not of noble origin; in the year after Nero committed suicide, Rome experienced the failed rule of three short-lived emperors. Spasian then sat on the throne. Nero was not forgotten by then; the vast lands and other luxuries he devoured had aroused popular outrage. So when Vespasian decided to fill in the artificial lake that belonged to Nero's luxurious golden palace.

Taj Mahal in India

Taj Mahal, the full name is "Taj Mahal". Famous buildings of the Mughal Empire. It is in the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, more than 200 kilometers away from New Delhi in present-day India, on the right side of the Yamuna River. The mausoleum built by Mughal King Shah Jehan for his deceased concubine Mumtaz. Construction began in 1630 AD and was completed in 1653. It consists of a palace, a bell tower, a minaret, a pool, etc., all built with pure white marble and inlaid with glass and agate, which is dazzling. It has extremely high artistic value. It is a representative work of Islamic architecture.

In 1983, it was included in the World Heritage List according to cultural heritage selection criterion C (I). Report on designation as a heritage site: Report of the 7th Session of the World Heritage Committee. It is one of the "New Seven Wonders" announced in the early morning of July 8, 2007, Beijing time.

The shape of the Taj Mahal, so familiar from countless photographs, is used as a restaurant logo, as a trademark for chutneys and condiments, in fact it is used everywhere, people see it. When I arrived, I immediately thought of a place like India. Still, few people who see the Taj Mahal are disappointed.

The Taj Mahal is made of marble transported from a quarry 322 kilometers away, but it is not the pure white building in some photos. Thousands of precious and semi-precious stones are inlaid on the marble surface, and the text on the tomb is made of black marble. Excellent craftsmanship can be seen in a carved marble fence. When sunlight hits the fence, it casts changing shadows. There used to be a silver door with a gold railing inside and a large piece of cloth pierced with pearls covering the queen's cenotaph (which was located above the actual burial place). Thieves stole these precious things, and many people tried to dig out the gems embedded in the marble columns, but the majesty of the Taj Mahal still fascinated people.

There does not seem to be much truth in the legend that Shah Jahan wanted to build himself an identical black marble mausoleum on the other side of the Jumna River. His son Aurangzeb proclaimed himself emperor in 1658 and kept his father under house arrest in a castle in Agra for nine years until his death. Shah Jahan could see the Taj Mahal from the castle. Later he was also buried in the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is a huge mausoleum-mosque built of white marble. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in Agra from 1631 to 1648 in memory of his beloved concubine. The Taj Mahal is the most perfect treasure of Indian Muslim art and one of the world heritage masterpieces that amazes the world.

There is actually a sad and lingering history behind this seven architectural wonders of the world. Understanding its historical background can indeed increase the interest of viewing the Taj Mahal. In the 17th century, Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan used tens of thousands of workers to build a mausoleum decorated with precious stones in memory of his beloved concubine Mutazima. The meticulous patterns are amazing. The most eye-catching thing about the Taj Mahal is the main building made of pure white marble. The royal mausoleum is neatly symmetrical from top to bottom, left and right, and the central dome is 62 meters high, which is breathtaking. There are four minarets about 41 meters high around it, and between the towers stand tombstones inlaid with thirty-five different types of semi-precious stones. The cemetery covers an area of ??17 hectares and is a slightly elongated circle. It is surrounded by red sandstone walls. The entrance gate is also built with red stone. It is about two stories high. There are eleven typical white figures on the back of the top of the gate. Small conical tower. The door leads all the way to the burial chamber of King Shah Jahan and his wife. Their sarcophagi are placed in the center of the chamber, which is solemn and solemn. In front of the Taj Mahal is a clear waterway with fruit trees and cypress trees planted on both sides of the waterway, symbolizing life and death respectively.