Archive for the ‘History’ Category

Answering Questions about the Great Wall

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

So I found out you can’t really see the Great Wall from outerspace.  It seems that the myth about seeing it from space has been around for quite a long time.  According to Wikipedia the first reference to being able to see the wall from space was made back in 1754 by William Stukeley. The myth was repeated again in the 1930’s by the Ripley’s Believe it or not cartoons. Some astronauts have even claimed to see it, but that is still debatable.

The Great Wall of China is over 4,000 miles long  from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west. It was built between 500 B.C. and 1600 A.D.  Though it was not consistently worked on during that time.  There were many years that no work was done on the wall.  The wall was used for many different things but it was mainly used as protection from invaders from the north.  It is said that during the Ming Dynasty more that one million soldiers were stationed on the wall!

Zaijian,

Mr. Crawford

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Getting Ready to visit the Great Wall of China

Friday, April 10th, 2009

In preparation of our visit to the Great Wall of China, I thought I would share some links and history about the Great Wall.

In researching about the Great Wall, I came across a website that seem to answer many questions I had about it.  The first thing I wanted to know was if the Great Wall was really big enough to see from space? I think it is a myth but I’ll follow up with you in a later post to share the answers. Look at this site to see if you can find the answer.  Also see if you can find out how long it is and how old.

Teachers, you can use the activities on the website Enchanted Learning with your class to learn more about the Great Wall.

Zaijian,

Mr. Crawford

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Tiananmen Square History

Friday, April 10th, 2009

As seen from the Google Earth Video, Tiananmen Square is a very large open plaza.  It is extremely flat with only lampposts breaking up the long streches of concrete.  The square itself is 880 meters by 500 meters, almost 100 acres large!  It was originally designed and built in Beijing in 1651.  It was expanded to current size, fourtimes the original size, in 1958. In 1958, the Monument to the People’s Heroes was also added to the square.

The square itself has been used for many different purposes over the last few centuries.   Occupying armies have used it to station their troops specifically the English and the French in the 1860’s and the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.  Tiananmen Square has also been a location to showcase national pride and strength.  It has frequently been the site used for parades and speeches. This includes the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong on October 1, 1949.

Zaijian,

Mr. Crawford

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The Forbidden City

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Today we should be traveling to the Forbidden City which got me thinking how it got it’s name and how big it really is because it looks massive on Google Earth.  I found a map of the Forbidden City online with a description of many of almost 1,000 buildings inside of the 26 foot tall walls that surround the city.  The Forbidden City is also surrounded by a moat that is 18 feet deep and 170 feet wide.  Those seem like formidable defenses to protect the city.

The Forbidden City, also known as the Forbidden Palace, was home to the rulers of the China from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It took over fourteen years to build, starting in 1406.  The Forbidden City covers almost 7,800,000 square feet. For a comparison a football field covers about 48,000 square feet.  The Forbidden City is almost 163 football fields large! It is a rectangle 3,150 ft from north to south and 2,470 ft from east to west.

When you get a chance read about the symbolism in the colors and architecture of the Forbidden City.  Find out why most of the buildings have yellows roofs, except for the library at the Pavilion of Literary Profundity and the Crown Prince’s residences.

Zaijian,

Mr. Crawford

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Beijing

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

“Northern Capital”

Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China. The name “Beijing” means northern capital.

Beijing was home of the 2008 Summer Olympics and people around the world had a close look at a modern city of tall buildings laced with highways. The city was settled nearly 2500 years ago. Compare that to New York City which was first settled about 400 years ago by the Dutch. Of course both cities were inhabited by humans prior to their settlements. There were Native Americans living in the area that became New York when the Dutch arrived. Near Beijing, there is evidence of early humans from about 250,000 years ago.

Our visit in China begins in Beijing. Watch for more on the sites and history this major world city.

Mr. Wood

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