The Great Wall 万里长城 - 5

In the heart of a harsh winter, Meng Jiangnu(孟姜女) decided¹ to visit her husband who had been sent to work on the construction of the wall. Bringing warm clothes for her beloved husband, she went to the first tower and asked the soldiers where she could find him. They knew he was dead. They couldn't bring themselves to tell her the truth. So they sent her to the next watchtower along the wall. Once again, she was told the same story. So she walked along the wall, searching desperately² for her husband. From the Tibetan Plateau(青藏高原) to the Yellow Sea. Here at last someone told her that her husband was dead, one of the million tortured souls who haunted the wall. Her sadness was so great and her despair so intense that her tears made a great breach³ in the wall.

There is still a temple dedicated⁴ to Meng Jiangnu. Here pilgrims come to ring the bell for good luck and offer a prayer in front of her statue. They can even look through a telescope at the breach in the wall caused by the tears of their long-dead heroine.

In the years after Emperor Qin's death, the people revolted against his empire. They seized the weapons of its Terracotta Army and smashed its harmless soldiers, setting roof timbers on fire and burying the army until its recent discovery. But this peasant revolt had little effect on future emperors. Soon, a new dynasty began to build a wall even greater than Emperor Qin's. Emperor Qin built his Great Wall with the blood and lives of the peasants. Now a new dynasty, the Han, continued his obsession⁵ with wall building. But they had some extra help.

The bronze statue of the flying horse of Hunan is one of the greatest discoveries in Chinese archeology. This was the ultimate weapon of the Han Dynasty. A new breed of horse introduced into China by her nomadic⁶ enemies. It was stronger, faster and tougher than any horse the Chinese had ever seen. It was the cruise missile(巡航导弹) of their generation. So it is no wonder the artist crafted it flying through the air, its hooves resting on the back of a startled swallow. Now, despite their military success, the new rulers of China, the Han, still needed a Great Wall. So around the time that Christ was alive, they constructed a second Great Wall.

In total, this Great Wall stretched for 6,700 miles and was the longest construction in all human history.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

3 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

6 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。