Announcing
the evidence of the experience
A stone tablet giving an account of the construction project at Badaling
during 1582A.D. or tenth reigning year of Wan Li says:
Lu Wenyuan assumed command over the project from Juyongguan Pass
to Shifosi, measuring 75 zhang and 2 chi long. A stone arched gate had
been built. The project was completed by the army.
Here is a list of names of commanding officers responsible for construction
work:
Liu Youben, commanding officer of Jinan Wei
Liu Guangqian, commanding officer of Qingzhou Zuo Wei
Zong Jiguang, commanding officer of Jinan Wei
Zhang Tingyin, subordinate officer of Feicheng Wei
The following commanding officers were responsible for kilns and quarries:
Zhao Congshan
Liu Yanzhi
Song Dian
Bian Yingchun
Zhao Guanghuan
Construction
was completed in the tenth month of the tenth reigning year Of Wan Li.
A section of only 70 zhang (about 200 meters) and an arched stone gate
were built by several thousand soldiers plus even more conscripted laborers,
from which we also can get an idea of the difficulty of the building
process.
There are
many such stone tablets along the Great Wall. In a section 800 km long
from Mutianyu, Beijing and in Jinshanling, Luanping, Hebei province
and way down to Shanhaiguan Pass thousands of stone tablets inscribed
with the names of Qi Jiguang and others are found. Practically every
watch tower and every section had a tablet, which is a record,saying
that certain people were responsible for the engineering work and for
its quality.
- Another
amazing story
In Mutianyu another tablet gives an account of an officer who had
been wrongly charged for embezzlement. It was later found that the
quality and length of the constructed wall were in keeping with the
required standard. The tablet was therefore erected to clear him of
blame or guilt.
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