The last climax was in the Ming Dynasty. Right after Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he started the reconstruction of the Great Wall immediately on the basis of the Qin Great Wall. Why? Because 2 big problems were facing him at that time. One is from the remaining forces of Yuan who often made southward counterattacks on Beijing; the other is from the threats of the newly raised ethic tribe of "Nu Zhen”, the Manchu. So, in the first year of Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, he sent his Chief General ,Xu Da up to Beijing to build up the Great Wall until the end of the Ming Dynasty.

The whole project of the Ming Great Wall took more than 200 years to complete ,and there were 18 large-scale constructions of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty. After that, the total length of the Ming Great Wall was more than 7,000 kms from Yalu River in Liaoning Province in the east to Jiayuguan pass in Gansu Province in the west. The Great Wall that visitors see today is mostly the Ming Dynasty Wall.

So, what have the Qing Dynasty done?

The Qing Emperors only restored some passes along the Great Wall because they adopted conciliation policy, or good-neighbor policy towards the Mongolian and Tibetan nobles to ensure a peaceful boundary.

The Great Wall, symbolizing China's ancient civilization, is one of the most splendid ancient construction wonders of the world. For many years ,the Great Wall as a military defensive project, kept out the invading troops of the northern nomadic tribes. From your handbook u can see, the Great Wall is just like a giant dragon crossing the northern part of China from west to east.

So, how did the Chinese people create such a great wonder? We need to look back to its history.

Construction of the Wall first began in the 7th Century BC called Spring and Autumn Period. The first section of wall ,that appeared in China ,was built by the Qi Kingdom and the Chu Kingdom. They had a high wall called "square wall" or "square city" built surrounding their own territories to defend the attacks of their neighboring enemy.

Its construction continued throughout the Warring States period in the 5th Century B.C.. All the kingdom followed the example of State Qi and State Chu,and had series of high walls constructed around their own territories for self-protection.

The Temple of Heaven is situated in the southern part of Beijing. It was first built in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Youngle of the Ming Dynasty, during the time when the Forbidden City and some other important imperial structures were constructed. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Temple of Heaven was the place where the emperors came to worship the God of Heaven and prayed for good harvest. It is not only the largest group of temple buildings in China, but also the largest heaven-worshipping architecture in the world. In 1998 it was listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO.

To better symbolize heaven and earth ,the northern part of the Temple is circular while the southern part is square .The whole compound is enclosed by two walls, a square wall outside a round one. The outer area is characterized by suburban[səˋbə:bən] scenery, while the inner part is used for sacrifices. The inner enclosure consists of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Circular Mound Altar.

Times change, and the wheel of history moves forward without stop .Nowadays, local pensioners do exercises here in the morning and evening and sightseers visit here both from home and abroad. People no longer pay tribute to God but enjoy the scenery and historical beauty in it. This is the Temple of Heaven today ,more lively and more prosperous.

Thanks Samatha! I love it too. I went there this time and it still looks beautiful without those flags.