The Great Wall of China

Title: The Great Wall of China
Author: Leonard Everett Fisher
Major Themes: China, Great Wall, Architecture
Synopsis: When the emperor decided that China needed a wall to keep the Mongols out, work immediately began.

One book I have always enjoyed reading aloud as part of the first round of world history study with Sonlight Curriculum is The Great Wall of China by Leonard Everett Fisher. This black and white picture book really brings to life the days of Ch’in Shih Huang Ti.

Over 2000 years ago, China was fragmented into many tiny kingdoms. Then, along came Ch’in Shih Huang Ti, and unified the country. He became the first Supreme Emperor of China. That didn’t stop his many problems, however. The Mongols kept threatening his empire from the north. Something must be done to stop them, but what?

Ch’in Shih Huang Ti came up with an idea. He would build a wall to keep the Mongolian invaders away. He mustered a great team of one million people, mostly the poor and those he didn’t like, including criminals, and sent them north to work along the border. All those hundreds of thousands of men worked non-stop, first packing earth together to make a solid wall, and then facing it with stones and fired bricks. If anyone rebelled or died, he was just buried in the wall.

Though the illustrations in The Great Wall of China are black-and-white drawings, they are so vivid that they almost make you feel like you are there. The story is told in a way that grips the imagination. Don’t miss this one in your study of China! 

WARNING: Mentions men being buried in the wall.

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