纪录片《美丽中国》 第45期 风雪塞外（5）（在线收听）

The Great Wall stretches off into the distance

长城一直延伸到远方

defining the southern limits of the vast Mongolian steppe

被看做是内蒙古大草原的南界

North of the Wall are huge areas of grassland

长城北面是广阔的草原

but one place on our journey is particularly significant

我们路途中有一个地方很重要

In the tall grass

高草丛中

a family of red foxes is raising its cubs

赤狐正在哺育幼狐

Today, they have this meadow pretty much to themselves

现在，它们享有这片草原

But it wasn't always the case

但事情并不总是这样的

Eight centuries ago

八百年前

this palce would've been teeming with people

这里应该有丰富的居民

Now these ruins in a field the short distance from Beijing

现在这些距离北京不远的废墟

are all that remains of the great city of Xanadu

都曾是中国上都

once the summer capital of China

大城市上都的遗迹

Within these walls

在这些残垣断壁之中

it is said that the leader of the Mongolians

据说蒙古首领

the mighty Kubla Khan welcomed Marco Polo to China

伟大的可汗忽必烈曾经欢迎马可波罗来到中国

Mongolian warriors established the greatest empire in history

蒙古骑士建立了历史上最大的帝国

stretching to the borders of Europe

一直延伸到欧洲的边界

Feared of this worrior tribe is the main reason

由于害怕这个骁勇善战的部落

the Han Chinese built the Great Wall

汉人修建了长城

The cornerstone of the Mongolian supremacy

蒙古人与马的亲密关系

was their relationship with horses

是其制霸的基石

This is what brought them such success in war

这是他们在战争中获胜的原因

The Mongolian riders travelled at night

蒙古骑兵在夜晚旅行

and rode with spare horses

由于不顾惜马匹

so they could move huge distances strike and then retreat quicker than their opponents

他们可以长距离涉敌并能比敌人更迅速地撤退