The Great Wall

The Great Wall

Perhaps, it is difficult to find someone who never heard about the Great Wall of China. As a rule, every country in the mass associated with the creation of one-way character. A wall (which is, so with a capital I'll call her later) not less vulgarized than the Eiffel Tower (when Tsvetaeva Voloshin asked what he liked best in Paris, he replied: "Eiffel Tower" - and the indignant exclamation companion added, - the only place where it is not visible). However, unlike the Eiffel Tower, an image which does not cause controversy, few people imagine what is in fact the Great Wall (or rather walls, as are several of them, but more on that later.)

The wall is really a symbol of China for the Chinese themselves, as well as for foreigners. At the entrance to the renovated part of the walls can be seen the inscription, made by Mao Tse Tung - "If you have not visited the Great Wall of China - you're not a real Chinese." And if you think this is true.

For a start, a little history. In the entire history of China, there are three main walls, each length of 10,000 li (5,000 km).. I must say that this number (10000) has a special significance in Chinese tradition. This is due primarily to the counting system adopted in ancient China. For the 10 000 there is a special name (Wan), which is close in meaning to the Russian "darkness", ie "Very much".

At the gate of Tiananmen Square (the central square in Beijing), hang two of the slogan "10,000 years of prosperity of China" and "Let it be 10,000 years the Communist Party of China." (In ancient China, this number was used only in relation to the emperor). In total, construction of the Wall has taken 2,000 years (since the 7th century BC to 17th century AD).
     The first wall (Qin Dynasty 221 BC -206 BC) associated with the name of the famous "unifier of the Chinese land," the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. For its construction had been sent 500 thousand people (with a total population of 20 million) a significant role in the building played a Confucian scholars, whom Qin Shi Huang thought of lime on the vine. Thousands of scientists, branded and shackled, to ensure the timely completion of work. This Chinese "White Sea Canal" (Wall is actually built on the bones of people who were driven from all over the country) at the time had a huge military-strategic importance. In the popular mind, this "great building" appeared as the "Wailing Wall". In the same old story, which is known to every schoolboy, describes a loving wife, who learned of the death of her husband, her tears flow down the wall.
     The second wall (Han Dynasty 206BC-220AD) was built to protect against the Huns, who made regular forays into the territory of China, and spoiled the order of the Wall, built by Qin Shi Huang. On the construction of the third wall (Ming Dynasty 1368-1344) was sent for about 1 million people. In the particularly important areas of hard-working Chinese are not limited to the construction of a wall in some places their number reached ten. During the construction, focusing on the fact that each of the towers of the Wall was in the line of sight from the two neighbors. Messages were transmitted by means of smoke signals or drums. In addition, all the way from Wall to the central city, at a distance of one horse from each other by the transition are small bases on which the messenger with the news futures could change horses.

All of the above, however, gives very little idea of ​​what such a wall, so to speak, an aesthetic point of view. First of all, the verb should be noted that the Chinese use to refer to a trip to the Wall. In Chinese it is pronounced "pa", and means about the same as the English "to climb", ie, climb, climb, climb, and the like. I must say that a trip to the wall really means is the above-mentioned actions. The wall itself is composed of a large number of steps that rise or fall (for some reason very rarely) in accordance with the peculiarities of the terrain. So you creep up from tower to tower, straining his last strength, convulsive breathing mountain air. If it's winter, then step to the same covered with a thin layer of ice, which makes the rise is particularly fascinating. And when you stop to rest, some scrawny Chinese (in the form of 60-70 years), which in the beginning you do not consider as a rival, briskly breaking step by step, leaving you far behind. Feature of the recovery on the Wall (as opposed to climbing a mountain, for example (many mountains in China as the "step")) is the absence of peaks to be conquered. The tower rises behind the tower, one step after another, the higher you climb, the less people around, the heady mountain air. . . selection of the other cliches of romance I'll leave the mountain on the part of the reader.

In ancient times, Wall really was a serious obstacle to anyone who tried to get into the "Middle Kingdom". The only way inside was through special checkpoints, which are tightly closed at night (the night they could not be opened under any circumstances, once had to wait until morning, even the Chinese emperor). In order to be missed in the Wall, the traveler had to get permission from higher authorities. To do this, he gave a kind of customs declaration for consideration by the head of the garrison, which, after appropriate testing, shipped it to their supervisors at the center. Prior authorization of the central authorities had no right prokinut inside, so the area around the checkpoint was filled with tents and stalls of traders waiting for an entry permit (sometimes delayed not to wait for a month).

Around Beijing, there are several sections of the wall, accessible to tourists. The most interesting part of neotrestavrirovanny Symatay. Restored and freshly painted walls of the produce depressing golivudskoy scenery, and how it is hard to believe that all this is here for thousands of years. I went to Symatay winter, and it really was one of the strongest impressions of Beijing. Because of the terrible pollution of the atmosphere over the city, Beijing is almost impossible to see the sky. The city is filled with all shades of gray - gray-blue, gray-blue, gray and brown .... Therefore, the blue sky above Symataem perceived almost as a miracle.

... when the bus pulls up with tourists to the wall, it immediately takes to the ring the crowd of Chinese women of middle and advanced age. What unites them all perhaps the only exclusive external deformity and a desire to make money. Because Chinese women is clearly more than us at the door the bus turns a real struggle for anyone who dares to come out. For some time we do not allow the driver to open the door - the external world, smiling a toothless smile, an elderly Chinese woman, does not inspire confidence. Finally, we go out. Chinese women, deftly sorting out little legs, trying to keep up with our European wide step. It turns out - they are guides designed to lighten and brighten up our recovery. They point to the wall and say that this wall, but this tower, there is a river, and in front of a high mountain. Since the value of such information is reasonable doubt, we strongly reject their services, but women do not pay attention to it, they circle around in the vain hope of attracting us with his encyclopedic knowledge. As soon as we climb higher and higher, sadness and disappointment show through more clearly on their wrinkled faces. Finally, we turn back. On the descent it is clearly not for us to keep up, the distance between us grows and grows, so they no longer seen around the bend walls, and a lively old man's voice, sending us to the last curse, speak the mountain echoes somewhere far behind ...

Good to Great Wall of China in the winter!