The Dark Secret Behind 21,000 KM of Wall | The Great Wall of China

More than two thousand years ago, an emperor ordered the construction of a stone barrier capable of crossing mountains, deserts, and plains, forever. It would grow to more than twenty-one thousand kilometers and cost hundreds of thousands of lives — Chinese historians later called it "the longest cemetery in the world." This is the full story of the Great Wall of China — from the First Emperor to the general who opened the gate to the enemy from within. You'll discover: • How the First Emperor united China and ordered the wall built in 221 BC • Why it was nicknamed "the longest cemetery in the world" • The brilliant signal-tower system that warned of attacks within hours • The legend of Meng Jiangnu and the wall said to have collapsed from her grief • How the Silk Road turned the wall into a guardian of trade • Why Genghis Khan's Mongols finally broke through • The betrayal at Shanhaiguan that opened the gates to the Qing dynasty • The myth that it's visible from space — and why it's false Subscribe to World in Stories for more real stories told the way they deserve to be told. #GreatWallOfChina #China #History #GreatWall #WorldInStories #Documentary Real photos: Wikimedia Commons (public domain / CC BY-SA).