Spirit of the Great Wall

2 min read

The hardships involved in building the Great Wall are beyond imagination.Numerous people had to leave their homes and families to go north, where they toiled for years. Many lost their lives on the worksites, over a period ofmore than 2,000 years.A Chinese idiom vividly expresses the Great Wall as the achievement of many,”Efforts joined by many can build the Great Wall.”

Of the many legends about the Great Wall, the story of Lady Mengjiang is the most moving. Lady Mengjiang lived during the reign of the First Emperor of Qin. After her husband was recruited to build the Great Wall, she missed him so much that she traveled many miles to see him. When she finally arrived at the construction site,a fellow countryman told her that her husband had died and was buried under the Wall.A heartbroken Lady Mengjiang cried for three days and nights until, legend has it, the Great Wall collapsed one section after another. People paid an enormous price for the building of the Great Wall. The legend ofLady Mengjiang represents the sufferings of the people. It also expressed their hatred for the tyrannical First Emperor of Qin. It was not a condemnation of the Great Wall itself, because the people had no reason to resent this defensive work that protected them. The builders of the Wall were no”cowards who choseto close themselves up,”as some people so claim, but heroes with a unanimous will and unparalleled strength.

Over the centuries, the Great Wall has become a symbol of consolidation and strength for the Chinese people. It symbolizes that great achievement can be made with a common will and concerted effort. For example, the national anthem, composed during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression(1937-1945), called on the people to”build our new Great Wall with our flesh and blood.”