In the year 221 BC, Emperor Qin Shihuang defeated
all his enemies and unified China for the first time in its history. During
his reign, the Huns from the north were a constant threat, often coming
down to the Yellow River Basin and taking land from people in the Hetao
Area, located at the top of the Great Bend of the Yellow River in Ningxia
and Inner Mongolia. To protect his people and safeguard his political power,
the Emperor ordered General Meng Tian, commanding 300,000 soldiers, to
defeat the enemy force. To prevent further attacks by the Huns, he decided
to consolidate and extend the Great Wall.
Many people believed that it was Emperor Qin Shihuang who first built the Great Wall. But research showed that before Qin's Great Wall, the six ducal states had already built their own walls to prevent attacks from each other and the Huns.
Qin's Great Wall was built by connecting parts of the walls belonging to the past ducal states Qin, Zhao and Yan, plus adding several thousand miles of its own.
The Great Wall of Qin resembled a gigantic dragon, extending from Lintao in the west to Liaodong in the east. Thus it was named 'Wanli Changcheng' (Ten Thousand Li Great Wall)
Generally speaking, Qin's Great Wall can be divided into three sections: western, middle and eastern. The western section started from the present Min County in Gansu Province, winding its way to Inner Mongolia via Guyuan County in Gansu Province; Jingbian, Yulin, Shenmu in Shaanxi Province; ending at the south bank of the Yellow River. The middle section started from Xinghe County in Inner Mongolia, winding its way to the north border of Wulanbuhe desert by way of Daqingshan Mountain, Guyuan County, Yinshan Mountain and the Yellow River. This part of the Great Wall was built mainly by using rubbles left from existing walls. The eastern section started from Huade County, Inner Mongolia, through Hebei Province, ending in Fuxin City in Liaoning Province. This part of the wall was built on the foundation of the ruins of Yan Dynasty walls.
It took about nine years to finish this grand project. The construction of the Qin Great Wall took many lives and a great deal of money and materials. From a historical aspect, during Qin Shihuang's rule, the Great Wall had served its role as a defensive force to protect people from wars and ensured them a peaceful and stable society.