How Tall & How Big is the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a UNESCO World Heritage site listed in 1987. But it is not only the internationally recognizable human landscape, but also the complete military defense system in the old days. Ancient dynasties utilized the Wall to resist invasion. Therefore, the Wall should be high and wide enough to defend against assault. How wide and tall is the Great Wall of China?

The height of the Wall averagely 6 meters (19 feet), and its average width is approximately 4 meters (13 feet). How exactly does it work in warfare at such a height? Do all the sections have the same height or width? This article will explore more about the size and scale of the Great Wall.

How Big is the Great Wall of China?

When it comes to the question of How Big the Great Wall of China is, it usually refers to its size, including length, width, and height. But, for such a huge undertaking, it is difficult to measure the size. The length is relatively easy to calculate. The Great Wall of China was measured by the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) in 2012. The total length of the Great Wall is 21,196.18 km (13,171 miles), of which well-preserved sections are mostly from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Ming Great Wall stretches 5,500 miles and is located in northern China, meandering through Shanhai Pass, one of the most representative passes. The Hexi section of the Ming Great Wall moves in the same direction as the Silk Road.

This military defensive system is actually not endless, but was separately built by various dynasties. It was composed of walls, fortresses, passes, and beacon towers, which were connected later by the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (ruled 259-210 BC). During the process, enormous amounts of manpower and resources were put into this vast engineering project.

How Tall is the Great Wall of China?

Most sections’ heights reach an average of 6 to 8 meters (20-26 feet), which nearly equals three male adults’ height. The most popular Badaling Wall is 7.8 meters (26 feet), and the height of Mutianyu ranges from 8-10 meters (26-33 feet). At some important defensive locations that served as the northern border, the wall could reach over 10 meters high. For instance, the height of Jiayu Pass is 10.7 meters (35 feet). The tallest point can reach 14 meters (46 feet).

The height of the Great Wall strategically varied with terrain and building materials. When it comes to steep mountains at high altitudes, the walls were built lower. The walls would become higher in flat plains or common sections. Since some walls are not so high, how exactly did they work in warfare?

The Great Wall is an integrated defensive system. The long Wall, in some sections, is not high, but was built along the mountain ridges. Enemies need to climb up to get through the natural barrier, and would be weakened a lot. In addition, passes, beacon powers, and fortresses were linked by walls. Once a battle signal was sent, soldiers would get ready for the battle earlier. And reinforcements nearby could arrive quickly.

How Wide is the Great Wall of China?

Since reinforcements need to arrive in time when receiving signals, the wall should be wide enough to allow these soldiers to quickly pass through at the same time. Its width changed depending on the geographical conditions as well. But how wide is the Great Wall of China?

China Great Wall is an average of 4-5 meters (13-16 feet) wide at the top, which guarantees that the wagon can run alongside the other one at the same time. Its width can allow 10 persons to stand side by side, and two cars to move parallel.

Since the shape of the Wall looks like a trapezoid from the side. The width on the base differs from the width at the top. The former would be wider, 6.5 meters wide (21 feet) on the base. The widest section is located in Juyongguan, 16.7m (54.8 feet).

How Many Steps Are There in the China Great Wall?

Since the Great Wall is thousands of miles long, the number of steps is one of its most distinctive features. It is estimated that there are 928,755 steps on the Wall. And Badaling contains 5,279 steps. It is said that he who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man. There are still numerous local and international visitors trying to reach the highest point nowadays.