1、IntroductionofGreatWallTheGreatWall,likethePyramidsofEgypt,theTajMahal(1)inIndiaandtheHangingGardenofBabylon(2),isoneofthegreatwondersoftheworld.StartingoutintheeastonthebanksoftheYaluRiverinLiaoningProvince,theWallstretcheswestwardsfor12,700kilom
2、eterstoJiayuguanintheGobidesert,thusknownastheTenThousandLiWallinChina.TheWallclimbsupanddown,twistsandturnsalongtheridgesoftheYanshanandYinshanMountainChainsthroughfiveprovincesLiaoning,Hebei,Shanxi,Shaanxi,andGansuandtwoautonomousregionsNingxiaand
3、InnerMongolia,bindingthenorthernChinatogether.HistoricalrecordstracetheconstructionoftheoriginoftheWalltodefensivefortificationbacktotheyear656B.C.duringthereignofKingChengoftheStatesofChu.ItsconstructioncontinuedthroughouttheWarringStatesperiodinthefif
4、thCenturyB.C.whenducalstatesYan,Zhao,Wei,andQinwerefrequentlyplunderedbythenomadicpeopleslivingnorthoftheYinshanandYanshanmountainranges.Walls,then,werebuiltseparatelybytheseducalstatestowardoffsuchharassments.Laterin221B.C.,whenQinconqueredtheothers
5、tatesandunifiedChina,EmperorQinshihuangorderedtheconnectionoftheseindividualwallsandfurtherextensionstoformthebasisofthepresentgreatwall.Asamatteroffact,aseparateouterwallwasconstructednorthoftheYinshanrangeintheHanDynasty(206BC1644BC.),whichwenttor
6、uinthroughyearsofneglect.Inthemanyinterveningcenturies,succeedingdynastiesrebuiltpartsoftheWall.ThemostextensivereinforcementsandrenovationswerecarriedoutintheMingDynasty(13681644)whenaltogether18lengthystretcheswerereinforcedwithbricksandrocks.itismostly
7、theMingDynastyWallthatvisitorsseetoday.TheGreatWallisdividedintotwosections,theeastandwest,withShanxiProvinceasthedividingline.Thewestpartisarammedearthconstruction,about5.3metershighonaverage.Intheeasternpart,thecoreoftheWallisrammedearthaswell,
8、buttheoutershellisreinforcedwithbricksandrocks.ThemostimposingandbestpreservedsectionsoftheGreatWallareatBadalingandMutianyu,notfarfromBeijingandbothareopentovisitors.TheWallofthosesectionsis7.8metershighand6.5meterswideatitsbase,narrowingto5.8m
9、etersontheramparts,wideenoughforfivehorsestogallopabreast.Thereareramparts,embrasures,peep-holesandaperturesforarchersonthetop,besidesgutterswithgargoylestodrainrain-waterofftheparapetwalk.Two-storiedwatch-towersarebuiltatapproximately400-metersinternals.T
10、hetopstoriesofthewatch-towerweredesignedforobservingenemymovements,whilethefirstwasusedforstoringgrain,fodder,militaryequipmentandgunpowderaswellasforquarteringgarrisonsoldiers.Thehighestwatch-toweratBadalingstandingonahill-top,isreachedonlyafterasteepc
11、limb,like"climbingaladdertoheaven".Theviewfromthetopisrewarding,hoverer.TheWallfollowsthecontourofmountainsthatriseonebehindtheotheruntiltheyfinallyfadeandmergewithdistanthaze.Asignalsystemformerlyexistedthatservedtocommunicatemilitaryinformati
12、ontothedynasticcapital.ThisconsistedofbeacontowersontheWallitselfandonmountaintopswithinsightoftheWall.Attheapproachofenemytroops,smokesignalsgavethealarmfromthebeacontowersinthedaytimeandbonfiredidthisatnight.Emergencysignalscouldberelayedtothec
13、apitalfromdistantplaceswithinafewhourlongbeforetheinventionofanythinglikemoderncommunications.Therestand14majorpasses(Guan,inChinese)atplacesofstrategicimportancealongtheGreatWall,themostimportantbeingShanghaiguanandJiayuguan.YetthemostimpressiveoneisJuy
14、ongguan,about50kilometersnorthwestofBeijing.Knownas"TianXiaDiYIGuan"(TheFirstPassUnderHeaven),ShanghaiguanPassissituatedbetweentwosheercliffsforminganeckconnectingnorthChinawiththenortheast.Ithadbeen,therefore,akeyjunctioncontestedbyallstrategist
15、sandmanyfamousbattleswerefoughthere.ItwasthegateofShanghaiguanthattheMinggeneralWuSanguiopenedtotheManchuarmytosuppressthepeasantrebellionledbyLiZichengandsosurrenderedthewholeMingempiretotheManchus,leadingtothefoundationoftheQingDynasty.(1644-1911
16、)JiayuguanPasswasnotsomuchasthe"StrategicpassUndertheHeaven"asanimportantcommunicationcenterinChinesehistory.Cleftbetweenthesnow-cappedQilianMountainsandtherollingMazongMountains,itwasontheancientSilkRoad.ZhangQian,thefirstenvoyofEmperorWuDio
17、ftheWesternHandynasty(206B.C-24A.D),crosseditonhisjourneytothewesternregions.Later,silkflowedtothewestthroughthispasstoo.Thegate-towerofJiayuguanisanattractivebuildingofexcellentworkmanship.Ithasaninnercityandanoutercity,theformersquareinshapeands
18、urroundedbyawall11.7metershighand730metersincircumference.Ithastwogates,aneasternoneandawesternone.Oneachgatesitsatowerfacingeachother.thefourcornersofthewallareoccupiedbyfourwatchtowers,oneforeach.Juyongguan,agatewaytoancientBeijingfromInnerMong
19、olia,wasbuiltina15-kilometerlongravineflankedbymountains.ThecavalrymenofGenghisKhansweptthroughitinthe13thcentury.AtthecenterofthepassisawhitemarbleplatformnamedtheCloudterrace,whichwascalledtheCrossing-StreetDagoba,sinceitsnarrowarchspannedthemains
20、treetofthepassandonthetopoftheterracethereusedtobethreestonedagobas,builtintheYuanDynasty(1206-1368).Atthebottomoftheterraceisahalf-octagonalarchgateway,interestingforitswealthofdetail:itisdecoratedwithsplendidimagesofBuddhaandfourcelestialguardian
21、scarvedonthewalls.Thevividnessoftheirexpressionsismatchedbytheexquisiteworkmanship.suchgrandioserelicsworks,withseveralstonespiecedtogether,arerarelyseeninancientChinesecarving.Thegatejambsbearamulti-lingualBuddhistsutra,carvedsome600yearsagoinSanskrit(3),Tibetan,Mongoli