Explore China - Archaeologists discovered NINE new sections of the Great Wall of China

By EDWARD CHOW and EMILY CHAN FOR MAILONLINE

It's even greater than we thought!

• Discovery means Qin Dynasty Great Wall can finally be fully traced
• The 6-mile stretch is thought to date back more than 2,000 years
• Historical records suggested the stretch existed but physical evidence has never been found until now
• China’s first emperor built it to stop invaders crossing the Yellow River

Archaeologists have discovered a previously unknown stretch of the Great Wall of China in the northwestern of the country, thought to date back more than 2,000 years. 

Experts say the new 6.2 mile-stretch (10 kilometres) means the full range of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall can be traced for the first time.

Nine sections of the Wall have been found over the last two months along the inner coast of the Yellow River in Gansu province and the Ningxia region, reported the People's Daily online. 

Still standing: New sections of the Great Wall discovered by a team of experts in northwestern China

Historic: This stretch, measuring more than 6 miles long, is thought to date back more than 2,000 years

Remote: The ruins range along the inner coast of the Yellow River in Gansu province and the Ningxia region

The new stretch, ranging between Jingyuan County and Nanchangtan village, was discovered by a team led by Zhou Xinghua, renowned Great Wall researcher and the former head of Ningxia Museum.

Historical documents had suggested that the Emperor Qin ordered for the Great Wall to start in Gansu province and run east into the Ningxia region and Inner Mongolia, but physical evidence in this particular area has never been found until now.

Mr Zhou said China's first emperor ordered for the stretch to be built along the Yellow River to stop invaders crossing it when it was frozen. 

While parts of the Great Wall date back to about 700 BC, the first complete Wall was built during the reign of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang, from about 220 BC after the country had been unified for the first time.

The newly discovered section of the wall was constructed using stones and rammed earth, with some parts built on top of the mountain ranges and others running along valleys.

Some of the ruins are only three feet high due to natural degradation, but originally the wall could have been as tall as 20 feet.

Other sections: Archive photos of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall which is thought to be built around 215 AD

Landmark: A monument is placed near the ruins of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall, which was built by the first emperor to have unified China

There are no surviving records of the exact length of the Qin Wall, and much of the original wall has eroded away leaving few sections behind.

The Great Wall is actually made up of many different structures built across northern China and southern Mongolia over a number of dynasties.

The best known and most visible section today is the Ming Wall, constructed from 1368 to 1644.

The formidable fortress covers approximately 5,500 miles from the Jiayu Pass in Gansu province and the Shanhai Pass in Hebei province.

However, it was revealed in 2012 that the Wall is actually 13,170 miles long – more than double the previous estimate.

Source - mail online