Great Wall of China

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2024

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It's one of the most iconic structures in the world: The Great Wall of China.

But is it just one wall? And who built it and why? Today, Tristan Hughes is joined by William Lindesay OBE to delve into the ancient history of this epic structure and to answer these questions and more.

Together, they uncover the origin story. From the Warring States around 300 BC to the Qin Dynasty and China's first emperor, and then to its expansion during the Han Dynasty. They explore the evolution of the walls' symbolism and significance, the role it played in protecting against nomadic threats, through to modern day conservation and protection efforts and how important it is to understanding China's military and cultural history.

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Transcript

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0:15.6	It's the entrance on history hit. I'm Tristan Hughes your host and in today's episode where we are continuing our Wonders of the World mini-series with a masterclass all about
0:20.6	the Great Wall or should I say, walls of China? Because yes that's right, we're
0:26.1	going to explore the multiple Great Wall that existed more than 2,000 years ago, where in China
0:31.8	they emerged, why they were built and how they evolved over the centuries
0:36.4	from the warring states period to the Han dynasty.
0:40.3	Now as this is the ancient podcast we're not going to focus as much on the later
0:44.8	monumental fortification that was the Ming Dynasty Great Wall built in the middle of
0:49.4	the second millennium AD iconic of pictures and postcards today. But I think we can all agree
0:56.2	that the ancient history is always much more interesting. And that's the same with
1:00.6	the great wall of China.
1:03.0	Now our guest is the esteemed author, conservationist and Great Wall expert, William Linde
1:09.0	William Linde.
1:10.0	William has dedicated his life to protecting and promoting the Great Wall and its story.
1:15.3	He's conducted surveys.
1:16.8	He's explored distant remotes part of it in places like the Gobe Desert.
1:20.7	He's founded several societies and programs that focus on Great Wall Conservation and so much more.
1:27.6	This man lives and breathes the Great Wall.
1:30.1	He is a true legend. I was really grateful for William's time. He dowed him from Beijing for this interview and I really do hope you enjoy.
1:39.0	So that further ado is William.
1:46.0	William, it is a pleasure to have you on the podcast today. It's great to be with you talking about the Great Wall.
1:49.0	Yes, the Great Wall and your darling in from China, so this is amazing that we've got you on location and also you mentioned the word great wall there
1:57.5	but I feel like we need to start this episode with some myth busting
	...

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