New Research Shows Great Wall of China Even Longer
New research is showing the Great Wall of China is even longer than has previously been thought. A recent 2 year government mapping study has uncovered new sections of the ancient Chinese monument that total about 180 miles. New sections of the Great Wall of China were concealed by hills, trenches and sandstorms. The Great Wall of China was constructed in sections about two thousand years ago to keep out Mongol invaders. With the new discoveries it is approaching 3,900 miles in length now.
Recent studies by Chinese archaeologists have shown that sections of the wall in Gansu are being reduced to nothing more than dirt mounds by sandstorms and may disappear entirely within twenty years. They blamed destructive farming methods in the 1950s that desertified large areas of northern China. In addition, portions of the Great Wall of China in Gansu were made of packed earth, which proved less resilient that brick and stone used in much of the wall's construction.
Chinese archaeologists have found what is thought to be the tomb of 3rd century general Cao Cao who was later depicted in popular folklore as the archetypal cunning politician.
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The Opium Wars in China began in 1839 after several years of the Qing government trying to stop the opium trade into China from the West.
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Perhaps the largest Neolithic community in the world has been discovered in southern China.
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A brief history of The Five Dynasties of China.
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