Ruins of “Wooden” Great Wall discovered in NE China
By ANIFriday, February 4, 2011
BEIJING - Archaeologists have discovered ruins of the “Wooden” Great Wall in Northeast China, establishing new facts that the landmark wall of China was not made only of stone and earthen bricks.
The Xinhua news agency quoted a joint statement by Liaoning Culture Relics Bureau and Liaoning Bureau of Surveying and Mapping as saying that some willow fences, found in the mountainous areas of Dandong City in Liaoning Province, helped verify the existence of the “Wooden Great Wall”, which is mentioned in ancient history books.
The willow fences were built upon the remains of the oak walls in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1636 - 1911), after the wooden structures corroded and collapsed, the report said.
Historical records attributed the oak walls to the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 - 1644), when defensive walls were rebuilt from stone, earth, and wood in some parts.
The Great Wall was originally built in the Warring States Period (475 BC - 206 BC) to defend China against northern nomadic tribes. Most of the standing walls, which extend nearly 9,000-km in north China, were rebuilt in later dynasties, including Ming. (ANI)
