Contents

Introduction: raiding and trading

Chronology

Design and development

The Great Wall and its buildersThe construction of the Great Wall
The structural and architectural features of the Great Wall

The Great Wall as a strategic defensive system

Mobile enemies and static defencesThe Ming Great Wall – a ridge too far?

The Great Wall at the operational level

Defending the Great WallSignalling and intelligence gatheringArtillery on the Great Wall

The Great Wall from end to end

The living site

Life and death on the Great WallGuarding the Great Wall

Operational history

From boredom to battlesThe Great Wall in modern warfare

Aftermath: the Great Wall as a symbol

The Great Wall today

Bibliography