The Great Wall(s) of China

The Great Wall of China is not one continuous wall but rather a series of walls built over many centuries.

It stretches like a giant stone snake across mountains, deserts, and grasslands, but it’s not one unbroken line. Instead, it’s more like a patchwork quilt of walls, forts, and towers built by different dynasties across 2,000 years.

The first walls were started as early as the 7th century BCE. Later rulers added to them, connected them, or built entirely new sections in different regions. The most famous parts, like the ones tourists visit today, were built during the Ming Dynasty, around 600 years ago.

In total, the Great Wall stretches over 13,000 miles. That’s more than five times the distance from New York to Los Angeles!

But here’s a twist: if you looked at it from space, you wouldn’t see one giant wall. It’s too narrow and broken in places. Some parts are missing entirely, while others zigzag or run into mountains and rivers.

And guess what? The wall includes watchtowers spaced every 500 yards or so, like ancient cell towers, except instead of phone signals, they used smoke and fire to send messages fast.

Kid-friendly conversation starter:
If you were designing your own Great Wall to protect your treehouse, what would it be made of—and what cool secret features would you add?