Children

The Great Wall of China

One of the Seven Wonders of the World:

The world focus today is on China and the Beijing Olympics. The Chinese people are not only proud to host Olympics, they cherish to talk about their engineering marvels. When we consider significance places in China The Great Wall tops the list. It is one of the Great Wonders of the world. It is said that The Great Wall is supposed to be the only man made object that could be seen from space.

The Chinese were familiar with the techniques of wall-building which began around the 7th Century BC. During the Warring States Period from the 5th Century BC to 221 BC, the States of Qi, Yan and Zhao all constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders.

Built to withstand the attack of small arms such as swords and spears, these walls were made mostly by stamping earth and gravel between board frames. Qin Shi Huang conquered all opposing states and unified China in 221 BC, establishing the Qin Dynasty.

Notable areas

The following three sections are in Beijing municipality, which were renovated and which are regularly visited by modern tourists today.

‘North Pass’ of Juyongguan pass, known as the Badaling. When used by the Chinese to protect their land, this section of the wall has had many guards to defend China’s Capital (Beijing). Made of stone and bricks from the hills, this portion of the Great Wall is 7.8 meters (25.6 ft) high and 5 meters (16.4 ft) wide.

‘West Pass’ of Jiayuguan (pass). This fort is near the western edges of the Great Wall.

‘Pass’ of Shanhaiguan. This fort is near the eastern edges of the Great Wall. One of the most striking sections of the Ming Great Wall is where it climbs extremely steep slopes.

It runs 11 kilometers (7 mi) long, ranges from 5 to 8 meters (16–26 ft) in height, and 6 meters (19.7 ft) across the bottom, narrowing up to 5 meters (16.4 ft) across the top. Wangjinglou is one of Jinshanling’s 67 watchtowers, 980 meters (3,215 ft) above sea level.

South East of Jinshanling, is the Mutianyu Great Wall which winds along lofty, cragged mountains from the southeast to the northwest for approximately 2.25 kilometers (about 1.3 miles). It is connected with Juyongguan Pass to the west and Gubeikou to the east.

25 km west of the Liao Tian Ling stands of part of Great wall which is only 2~3 stories high. According to the records of Lin Tian, the wall was not only extremely short compared to others, but it appears to be silver.

Archeologists explain that the wall appears to be silver because the stone they used were from Shan Xi, where many mines are found. The stone contains extremely high metal in it causing it to appear silver. However, due to years of decay of the Great Wall, it is hard to see the silver part of the wall today.

Characteristics

Before the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from Earth or Taipa, stones and wood.

During the Ming Dynasty, however, bricks were heavily used in many areas of the wall, as were materials such as tiles, lime and stone. The size and weight of the bricks made them easier to work with than earth and stone, so construction quickened.

Additionally, bricks could bear more weight and endure better than rammed earth. Stone can hold under its own weight better than brick, but is more difficult to use.

Condition

While some portions north of Beijing and near tourist centers have been preserved and even reconstructed, in many locations the Wall is in disrepair.

Those parts might serve as a village playground or a source of stones to rebuild houses and roads. Sections of the Wall are also prone to graffiti and vandalism. Parts have been destroyed because the Wall is in the way of construction.

Visibility from space

The Great Wall is a maximum 9.1m (30 ft) wide and is about the same colour as the soil surrounding it. Based on the optics of resolving power (distance versus the width of the iris: a few millimetres for the human eye, metres for large telescopes) an object of reasonable contrast to its surroundings some 70 miles in diameter (1 arc-minute) would be visible to the unaided eye from the moon, whose average distance from Earth is 384,393 km (238,857 miles).

The Great Wall is of course not a disc but more like a thread—it can be seen from much further than would be possible if it were simply a 30 foot disc.

Still, the apparent width of the Great Wall from the moon is the same as that of a human hair viewed from 2 miles away. To see the wall from the moon would require spatial resolution 17,000 times better than normal vision.

No lunar astronaut has ever claimed seeing the Great Wall from the moon. Incidentially, if one could have seen the Great Wall from the moon, one ought to be able to see most of the roads in the world as well, given that they in total length far surpasses that of the great wall, and commonly are even wider. This is again not the case.

Building confidence

I am sure you are all enjoying the school holidays. Did you visit our historic cities like Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, climb the Sigiriya rock, the Pinnawala elephant orphanage, Yala national park, went down south to see the Galle Fort or had a great time playing on the beach with your sisters and brothers? Tell us how you spent your school holidays. Share your experiences with us.

But, don’t forget your school homework.Then only can you face the next school term with confidence. Don’t postpone your work or duties.

Then you can avoid last minute cramming for exams. Remember the secret behind the success of world leaders, intellectuals, world champion sportsmen and sportswomen is their untiring perseverance and commitment to achieve their aims and goals in their respective fields.You start with one step and reach for the stars. The sky is the limit.

Our own cricket captain Mahela Jayawardena when asked about winning the ChampionshipTrophy against India said it was the untiring hard work along with team effort that brought victory in their recent achievements.

Anyway ‘all work and no play’ makes Jack a dull boy. So don’t be a Jack because playing with friends is equally important as studying. Nowadays children are more likely to be engaging in more passive activities like watching television, playing video games. They have become couch potatoes and are prone to obesity related diseases in their young age.

Have fun!

Aunt Anji

Mystery Manor

I sat on the dusty armchair and relaxed before the flickering flames. My eyes wondered around the handsomely furnished room. It was filled with eccentric items which had drawn my interest from the moment I had first set foot in the house.

It was a good old place, Mystery Manor but lately things had gone completely out of my control. I watched the flames, lost in my own thoughts and jumped with fright when a log fell onto the carpet sending hot embers in all directions. I had been feeling very jumpy lately with so many mysterious happenings around the house, for instance the candle I usually kept by my bed was blown out at the strike of midnight; the blood on the banisters; or the rattling and clanking of rusty chains echoing from the cellar.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the front door. Oh dear, I muttered as I rushed to open the door. I had been bothered by plenty of tramps lately and I was going to have to drive this one away.

I unbolted the stout wooden door and wrenched it open expecting to see some drunken fellow, but instead I came face to face with a man.

I call him a man for the want of a better term. In fact he had very vague figures of a man. His eyes were sunken and had a dead look in them which reminded one of dark tunnels. His face was white and waxen and was completely devoid of any expression.

He smiled but only his mouth moved for is eyes stayed cold as ever. When I grasped his hand I felt as if I had put my hand into a tub of ice. The hand was deathly cold.

The man stepped over the threshold without invitation. As he stepped into the light I had a good look at his clothes.

They were of a very old fashion. “A strange fellow,” I thought, following him inside. I found he had already seated himself in a seat well away from the fire.

He seemed to dislike the warmth. We sat in silence for a few minutes and when he finally spoke his voice was like a sudden blast of icy wind. It sent a shiver down my spine. Let the window open he commanded and even before I had risen to obey his command the window sprung open on its own accord. I had already began to suspect that my visitor was not human and this gesture conformed my beliefs.

Finding nothing to do I fetched a drink from the wine cellar and offered it to my guest.

He refused, but when I insisted, he raised the glass to his lips. The more he drank the more un-human he seemed to become. His outline became more and more blurred and his face became paler by the minute.

When the clock struck midnight he rose. “I must leave” he said. He stood and walked around the room for a few moments and then in the blink of an eye dissolved into the air.

I don’t know who he was or why he came but I am sure I know the reason why the Manor was called the Mystery Manor.

Raveena Amani Weerabahu, Year 7 Gateway College
 

The flag of Australia

The flag of Australia was chosen in 1901 from entries in a worldwide design competition held following Federation. It was approved by the Australian and British authorities over the next few years, although the exact specifications of the flag were changed several times both intentionally and as a result of confusion. The current specifications were published in 1934 and in 1954, the flag became legally recognised as the Australian National Flag.

The flag is a defaced blue ensign; a blue field with the union flag in the canton and a large white seven pointed star known as the commonwealth star in the lower hoist quarter. The fly contains a representation of the southern cross constellation made up of five white stars one small five pointed stars and four larger seven pointed stars.

The design of the Australian flag is of the subject of debate within Australia, with some advocating its redesign in connection with the Australian Republicanism and Republican movement.

The official flag of Australia is defined in the Flags Act of 1953. The Act became law on February 14, 1954 when Elizabeth II Queen of Australia gave Royal Assent in person. Section 3 of the Act specifies that the Blue Ensign is the Australian National Flag.

Ashik Sadurdeen, Grade 12, Sailan International School, Negombo