Did the Great Wall of China Actually Work? | 60 Seconds History

The Great Wall of China spans over 21.000 kilometers and is one of the new wonders of the world. But was it really an effective defensives structure?

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[BNOBLE]

The Manchu didn't breach the wall, a turncoat let them through the gates of the fort he commanded. Look up Wu Sangui basically China's version of Benedict Arnold.

[lancialonginus]

The Manchus did not exactly breach, they were let in by the betraying gatekeeper. But nonetheless, whether the wall was impenetrable or not, China had its fair share of barbarian inpour through her history, and so in this strict sense only, the wall did not work, but without the wall, the consequences would be far worse and Chinese as a civilisation would probably not exist.

[Cabrito]

2500 years keeping outsiders at bay, but is currently being destroyed by the enemy of the modern times... Tourists

[icecoldjr]

Despite popular belief the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space

[PhilippeDevienne-ehtx]

Great channel! I read the following a long time ago in military strategy literature, so I am unfortunately unable to quote the source. It posited that the wall could not be manned enough to prevent breaches but could be subsequently be manned well enough to slow down the retreat of the raiders, who could then be exterminated. That was the deterrent. Of course it did not work for invaders who meant to stay. I would be curious to find out if this theory is well supported. The Maginot line and the Atlantic wall’s failure would support that theory ?

[dinolover]

What a comeback after being sick ❤️ love you!

[MarkMiller]

Long story short, it didn’t work all the time but it worked enough times for the Chinese culture and identity to survive to today.

[inser]

The Chinese fought the Japanese for almost 6 months when they attacked the Great Wall in 1933. Pretty effective since they had rifles, artillery, and aircraft.