ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a really, really long wall that was built a long time ago to help protect China from bad guys. It's so long that if you started walking at one end, it would take you a really long time to get to the other end!

A long time ago, in ancient China, there were different groups of people who sometimes fought with each other. To protect themselves, the rulers of China decided to build a big wall. The wall was started over 2000 years ago and it took many years to finish.

The Great Wall wasn't just one long wall, though. It was many walls that were built over many years. Some parts of the wall were made of brick and stone, while others were made of earth and wood. The walls were really tall and wide, and they had towers and forts where soldiers could watch for bad guys and protect the people inside the wall.

Over time, different emperors added to the wall and made it longer and stronger. It became a symbol of China's power and strength, and it's still an important part of China's history today. People from all over the world come to visit the Great Wall and see this amazing feat of engineering and history.