SHENYANG - Archaeologists have identified the dilapidated walls in Northeast China to be the remains of the "Wooden" Great Wall, breaking the stereotype that the landmark wall of China was only made of stone and earthen bricks.

Some willow fences, found in the mountainous areas of Dandong City, Liaoning Province, helped corroborate the existence of the "Wooden Great Wall", which is mentioned in ancient history books, according to a report jointly released by Liaoning Culture Relics Bureau and Liaoning Bureau of Surveying and Mapping.

The willow fences were built upon the remains of the oak walls in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1636 - 1911), after the wooden structures corroded and collapsed, said the report.

Historical records attributed the oak walls to the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 - 1644), when defensive walls were rebuilt from stone, earth, and wood in some parts.

The Great Wall was originally built in the Warring States Period (475 BC - 206 BC) to defend China against northern nomadic tribes. But most of the standing walls, which extend nearly 9,000-km in north China, were rebuilt in later dynasties, including Ming.

一提起長城，人們就會想到是由堅硬的磚石砌成，但是在遼寧省境內(nèi)的明長城卻證實有“木長城”的存在。

遼寧省文物局與遼寧省測繪局近日完成的長城資源調(diào)查報告，披露了最新的勘查成果，從已發(fā)現(xiàn)的長城遺跡看，位于遼寧東部山區(qū)的木柞墻遺存為明長城的一部分。以樹木作為墻體在中國明長城中還鮮有發(fā)現(xiàn)。

遼寧東部山區(qū)山林眾多，主要樹種為柞樹，構(gòu)筑材料頗為充足，柞樹質(zhì)地堅硬，耐腐蝕，加工便利，成為遼東“木柞墻”的首選材料。如在遼寧省丹東市叆陽附近的山體上尚留有較多柳條邊的痕跡，這可能就是清代推倒或利用明代木柞墻后，借用原有的基礎(chǔ)經(jīng)簡單修筑而成柳條邊。這樣的段落多在腐朽不存的木柞墻地帶，保存有壕塹。

?“木長城”的存在也在史籍中得到印證?！度|志》卷二“障塞”條記載：“自孤山南界至江沿臺西界止，木柞墻共六千八百一十七丈。自馬根單起至孤山南界，五千四百四十七丈?！笔芳杏涊d的“木柞墻”長度換算成今天的長度計量單位約為41公里。

劉謙《明遼東鎮(zhèn)長城及防御考》的記載：在今本溪縣堿場公社西南有名為“木柵墻”的地方，位于長城沿線上。丹東鳳城二道溝長城、裕太長城也是此類木柞墻。

參加長城資源調(diào)查的遼寧省考古專家王綿厚說：“長城的修建大多是就地取材，遼東的‘木長城’符合當?shù)氐牡匦蔚孛?，木材原料也和當?shù)刂脖晃呛?。?

不過，“木長城”本體因自然條件變化而侵蝕，并因時間久遠塌陷，對遼東“木長城”的具體分布和長度沒有確切的勘測結(jié)果。

明長城東起遼寧虎山，西至甘肅嘉峪關(guān)，從東向西行經(jīng)10個省份，總長8851.8千米。遼寧境內(nèi)的明代長城，史稱“遼東邊墻”，是明代洪武年間開始陸續(xù)修筑的我國北方“九鎮(zhèn)”長城防御體系中的重要組成部分和東起點。

遼寧明長城的墻體，可分為人工修筑的墻體和利用自然地勢形成的墻體兩大類。人工墻體又可分為四種形式：石墻、土墻、山險墻、木柞墻。利用自然地勢形成的墻體有山險和河險。

（中文新聞摘自新華網(wǎng)）