Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty
Shandan Great Wall
Juyongguan
The Great Wall of China, regarded as the symbol of the Chinese nation, is a huge man-made ancient military defense system, with the longest construction time and the largest quantity of work in the world. In ancient China, many great, soul-stirring battles and historical events happened on the wall. Many celebrities, including strategists and statesmen, won their fame in famous battles on the great wall.
The construction of the great wall cost a lot in terms of human wisdom, lives, blood, sweat and tears, and produced numerous moving and beautiful stories which has been an important part of Chinese folk myth and legend for centuries. The best-known is the story about the collapse of a section at Shanhaiguan Pass caused by Meng Jiangnü's tears. These tears are the stuff of folk songs and traditional operas. Others popular among the Chinese people are about the beacon tower in the Lishan Mountain near to Xian, the Wife Tower at Dongjiakou on the northern wing of Shanhaiguan, the bricks and stones of Jiayuguan, and the name origins of Yumenguan and Xifengkou Gateway. Some of these legends are outlined below.
Meng Jiangnü's Bitter Weeping: One of the' Top Four Chinese Folk Love Legends' in China, Meng Jiangnü's Bitter Weeping has been written in Chinese poetry, folk songs, and plays and has featured in many other art-forms. The story mainly tells of Meng Jiangnü’s faithful love for her husband. She overcome enduring dangers and countless hardships to look for her husband, and jumped into the sea to accompany her husband into heaven finally.
Beacon Tower Legend: King You, the last king of the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC) was so fatuous that he had the beacon tower lit to play tricks on sovereign rulers in order to please his favorite concubine Bao Si. The result is that he lost both his life and his kingdom.
Story of Wife Tower: When Qi Jiguang, an outstanding military general and national hero, was serving in the garrison at Shanhaiguan Pass in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), a young man named Wu Sanhu who had leaned superior martial skills from his adoptive father and master, enlisted in the army with great patriotism after getting married with his adoptive father's sister Xue Lan. He was then ordered to guard the strategic Dongjiakou beacon tower. One stormy night, Wu Sanhu was shot dead by the enemies when lighting the beacon tower to send signals to the army soon after getting together with Xue Lan. In great sorrow, Xue Lan tried her best to have the beacon tower lit, caught the leader of the enemy's army alive, and asked him to guard the tower instead of her husband finally. Thereafter, the beacon tower was named 'Wife Tower' by the local people. Jiayuguan Pass Legend: Famous as 'the First Pass under Heaven', Jiayuguan Pass was built under poor construction conditions in ancient China. Thus, many beautiful stories were woven around its construction, including the stories of the City Stabilizing Brick, Transporting Stones through Iced Path, Goats Carrying the Bricks and Striking Stone for Swallow Singing. story of Yumenguan Pass: Yumenguan was a major thoroughfare on the Ancient Silk Road, encompassing swamps, crisscrossing gullies, penetrating dense forests and wild undergrowth. It's said that even the old horses that had passed there many times would lose their way there. To mark the way, a big jade was set in on the top of the Yumenguan gate tower under the requirements of a magic wild goose. Thereafter, the passing caravans had never got lost there, and then the name was changed into Yumenguan Xifengkou Gateway Legend: It's said that a young man was conscripted and had no contact with his father for years. Missing the boy too much, the father looked for his son everywhere, and found him at the foot of Xifengkou Gateway in the end. They were so happy to get together again that they laughed to death while embracing each other. Later the pass was named Xifengkou (happy meeting pass).
