The Great Wall of China is called the "Ten thousand Ii Great Wall" in Chinese. In fact, it s more than 6 000 kilometres long. It winds its way from west to east, across deserts, over mountains, through valleys till at last it reaches the sea. It is one of the wonders of the world. The Great Wall has a history of over twenty centuries. The first part of it was built during the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Warring States Period, more walls were put up to defend the borders of the different kingdoms. It was during the Qin Dynasty that the kingdom of Qin united the dif ferent parts into one empire. To keep the enemy out of his empire, Emperor Qin Shi Huang had all the walls joined up. Thus, the Great Wall came into being.