The Great Wall 万里长城 - 14

The new Manchu dynasty tried something different with their neighbors, diplomacy¹. Here in their lovely Summer Palace, they greeted delegations² from all over the Eastern world. Attendance was compulsory³. Neighbors were expected to pay tribute to the emperor. This was Manchu diplomacy. But guests had to be comfortable. The emperor even sent officials to Tibet to draw and measure the Dalai Lama's residence and then built a scale model to make his guest feel at home. The Dalai Lama (达赖喇嘛) never made the trip.

But the other great spiritual leader of Tibet, the Panchen Lama (班禅喇嘛) did pay a visit. So great was his prestige that according to Tibetan sources, he was asked by the emperor to sit on the dragon throne, a totally unique privilege. Chinese sources pictured him in a rather more humble⁴ pose, offering the emperor a sacred scarf. And for him, the emperor had his palace in Tibet faithfully reconstructed. It was certainly cheaper to build these great temples with their sinuous⁵ golden dragons than to man and maintain the Great Wall. The emperor even went so far as to learn Tibetan, so as to talk to his visitor without translators. And he ordered all the main public inscriptions⁶ to be in all the languages of the Manchu Empire: Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian and Manchu. Many monks⁷ settled here and still continue to worship, long after the last emperor had left his throne.

And as for the Great Wall, it was allowed to fall into ruin once again. A defense⁸ no longer needed. The only wall the Manchu dynasty cared about was the one that ran right around their palace, built to protect the wild game they loved to hunt. The Great Wall, for the first time in its history, was of no value to the Chinese people. And now the wall's last intriguing⁹ chapter was about to be written. The Great Wall, the longest and most astonishing of all the world's ancient wonders lasted 2,000 years, but it was only in the last 200 years that the West got a good look at it. In 1793, the British dispatched a diplomatic expedition to China, led by Lord Macartney (马戛尔尼), in an effort to open it up to British trade. When Macartney stopped to admire the wall as he journeyed across China, his Chinese guides were puzzled. Why would anyone be interested in the pile of ancient stones? One member of the team drew a sketch¹⁰ of the wall, one that was reproduced thousands of times and is still how most people view the Great Wall today. Every ambassador to China received by the emperor was obliged to kowtow, that is to bow three times each accompanied by three acts of prostration¹¹, the forehead touching¹² the ground nine times in all.

scale model: A scale model is a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object being represented. Very often the scale model is smaller than the original and used as a guide to making the object in full size

kowtow: kneel and touch one's forehead to the ground

prostrate: throw oneself flat on the ground in reverence or submission

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

3 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

4 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

5 sinuous   

adj.蜿蜒的，迂回的

参考例句：

• The river wound its sinuous way across the plain.这条河蜿蜒曲折地流过平原。
• We moved along the sinuous gravel walks,with the great concourse of girls and boys.我们沿着曲折的石径,随着男孩女孩汇成的巨流一路走去。

6 inscriptions   

（作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记

参考例句：

• Centuries of wind and rain had worn away the inscriptions on the gravestones. 几个世纪的风雨已磨损了墓碑上的碑文。
• The inscriptions on the stone tablet have become blurred with the passage of time. 年代久了，石碑上的字迹已经模糊了。

7 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

11 prostration   

n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳

参考例句：

• a state of prostration brought on by the heat 暑热导致的虚脱状态
• A long period of worrying led to her nervous prostration. 长期的焦虑导致她的神经衰弱。

12 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。