Before Qin Dynasty in ancient China, many northern vassal States of Zhou Dynasty (1100B.C.-256B.C.) built some defensive walls against minorities invaders in their own states, then, as the first Emperor Qin Shi Huang united the whole China and realized these defensive walls are not effective to anti minorities invasion, so he launched a grandiose project of linking the various defensive walls in north of China, what was to become known as the Great Wall, that also was the start of our story.
Wan Xiliang, the husband of Meng Jiangnu, was seized on the night of their wedding, and became one of the 500.000 labourers to build the Great Wall for Qin shi huang Emperor. Before they parted, Meng broke her hairpin of white jade into two parts, and gave half to Wan Xiliang with the words”My heart is as white and pure as this jade，keep this half and you will feel that I am with you, and I will wait for your until you back”.
As the rough environment, tough work and merciless overseers, thousands upon thousands of labourers died of overwork and maltreatment, as well as poor Wan Xiliang. Some ancient books wrote that:”The ditches were filled with corpses; piled-up skeletons supported one another”.
However, Meng Jiangnu didn’t know what happened to her husband, and as the autumn came and the birds began to fly south, she recalled that her husband left with thin clothing, so she made some padded clothes and started her journey to find her wife.
One day, on a mountain road to the Great Wall, she fainted for hungry and exhausted. When she regained consciousness, she found that she was lying on a comfortably heated brick bed and a white-haired old woman was taking care of her, and no hesitate to continue her journey with the old woman accompanied. When Meng jiangnu decided to say thanks and bye to this old woman after three days and nights, but when she turned back to her, she found the old woman disappeared. (The old woman was an immortal who was moved by Meng’s devotion and came to earth to help her)
One day, in the mountains, Meng Jiangnu lost her way and was wandering around; at that time she heard a flock of wild geese that seemed to be beckoning her, so she followed them and finally find the way to Great Wall.
There, what she saw was the numerous workers dressed in rags and reduced to skin and bones. However, after shouted her husband until her voice was hoarse and the wall have shaken, she found no sign of her husband. In great despair she knelt by the wall and wept for three days and three nights, some sections of the Great Wall collapsed and the bones of the Wan Xiliang appeared, after saw this, Meng Jiangnu jumped into the sea with the Wan Xiliang bones.
Today, although we have no chance to see the scene of building the Great Wall by billions people, and experience the feeling of broken heart of Meng jiangnu, we do have chance to witness the splendid man made miracle.
Besides, if you want to experience the Great Wall with quiet environment and less tourists, we do suggest you to take China Travel agency and visit Mutianyu section of Great Wall, however, if you don’t mind the crowds and want to experience renewed splendid steep Great Wall, we do suggest you visit Badaling section Great Wall. More Tips please see the advise of travelling in Beijing.
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