Is it true that during the building of the Great Wall of China people died and were buried in the bricks?

Question

Like I said above, I heard that people died during the building of the wall and that there was no time for a proper burial so they just covered them in with bricks. i was wondering if this was true or not, and if it is true, is there any estimate as to how many people may have been placed in the wall?

Answer 1

been to the wall 4 times and have learned that they were NOT buried in the wall as previously mentioned. instead they were buried next to wall. if they were buried in the wall it would've not been very stable as the years passed by.

Answer 2

Many people tend to believe that Qin Shi Huang (the emperor who united the Warring states and unified Chinese characters) built the Great Wall of China. It is not true.

Portions of walls were built before his time. He built some and joined them together. More walls were built and joined after him. The wall was basically built to protect the inner land from the "barbarians" (mongolian nomads).

Thousands of people died during these projects. Generations of families were dedicated to the projects. They were born, raised and died at the site. There was a legend that a man died while working at the site. The wife was so sad and cried at the wall where the husband was supposed buried in. The wall crumbled and fell. It was a romantic story but could not be verified if it was true.

Answer 3

thousands have died in the making of the great wall and the chinese had their reasons:

1.) there wasn't any time to bury all the men who worked on the wall, so their grave is the wall itself.

2.) since the workers knew all about the wall, the government was afraid that they would give away secrets about it. even though many died in the construction, the chinese government killed whoever built the wall anyways.

3.) bad weather (i.e. rain, wind, mud slides)

an estimate on how many died: it took ten years to build, so i'd say at least 10,000+ people died but this is just my estimate

Answer 4

They were *NOT* buried inside the wall, as this would have made the wall less sturdy. The bodies would have rotted which would have destroyed the wall. They were buried next to the wall. If you watch any modern educational program on the Great Wall you will learn this.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, it's very true. When Qing Shi Huang built the Great Wall, workers were mistreated. So many were buried as the foundation to the structure without leaving their names and family just had to accept the fact that their sons didn't return.

Answer 6

There is no specific death toll,but yes,tens of thousands of people died.Take a look at this website.

http://www.great-wall.org/facts.htm

There was a rumor that about 300,000 people died during the Qin Dynasty.The reason there is no specific death toll is because the great Wall of China was continuously built during numerous dynasties.

Answer 7

Thousands died .. and yes it is true that they were often buried in the wall. Rather a fitting monument in the grand scheme of things I think.

Answer 8

It's true according to Chinese History books, and my grandma also told me many tales of the Great Wall. Back that time, whoever had to work on the great wall, their lives were priceless to the king. So pathetic and sad.

Answer 9

of course it was true. thousands and thousands years ago. the value of life is zero.
but it wouldnt be in the bricks--it would cause trouble to cover it up(by common sense), but definitely under the ground nearby.

Answer 10

yea probably.

by the way, do not believe the number which start with 3 in China.
such as 3,000 30,000 300,000

They use this number when they exaggerate the historical fact and numbers.