Leadership Insights | Illustrated Lectures: The Great Wall: A Symbol of the Chinese Nation

The Great Wall is a representative symbol of the Chinese nation and an important symbol of the Chinese civilization. It carries the tenacious spirit of the Chinese nation and the determination, perseverance and patriotism of the Chinese people. It is our common responsibility to protect and pass on this historical and cultural heritage. 

The Great Wall was an ancient military defense system in China, with a total length of about 21,196.18 kilometers, spanning 15 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions including Liaoning and Hebei. The construction of the Great Wall began in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, with the large-scale construction mainly taking place during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). It was also expanded or renovated in historical periods such as the Han and Ming dynasties. The Great Wall is an important symbol of the Chinese nation and a major symbol of China’s national spirit. “The Great Wall of Steel”, “The Great Wall of thousands of miles will never fall”, “A man who has never been to the Great Wall shall not be considered as a hero”… All these phrases and expressions contain the Chinese people’s indomitable patriotic spirit and their cultural genes of unremitting self-improvement.

Historically, the Great Wall served not only as a military defense system, but also as garrison camps and venues for regular trade between people on both sides. With the increasing unification of the country, the military function of the Great Wall was weakening day by day, and it gradually transformed from a military facility to a symbol of national unity. Especially with the westward population migration driven by a series of policies in the Qing Dynasty (1611-1911), the Great Wall began to play an increasingly important role in trade among ethnic groups, tributes from vassal tribes, transport and communication, and ethnic integration, among others, making both sides of the Great Wall the “home” of the Chinese nation. In this sense, the Great Wall has been a significant witness to the formation and development of China as a unified, multi-ethnic country. 

Spanning more than 20,000 kilometers and with a history of over 2,000 years, the Great Wall is the largest existing cultural heritage in China and an important symbol of the Chinese nation. It has witnessed the vicissitudes of history and the great changes of the times, guarded the survival and reproduction and peaceful development of the Chinese nation, and protected the continuous inheritance and continuation of Chinese civilization from generation to generation.