The Great Wall of China
An exhaustively illustrated portrait of one of the world's great wonders.
An engineering feat rarely matched in the history of the world, the 1,500-mile-long Great Wall of China stretches from the shores of the Pacific to the Gobi Desert. It is such a prominent structure on earth that astronauts say they can see it with the naked eye from space. The 2,000-year-old Great Wall was originally constructed to shield the ancient empire from invaders, but today it is regarded as a national symbol and attracts hordes of tourists from around the world.
This splendid book offers 165 exquisite images portraying the Great Wall as never before. In addition to striking views of the wall as it snakes across the vastness of China's northern borders, there are paintings, sculptures, and scrolls depicting life along the wall through the centuries. Here also are evocative portraits of the nomads of the steppes who live near the wall, in much the same way as their ancestors. The fascinating text recounts the complete history of the wall, from the time it was begun during the Qin Dynasty twenty-two centuries ago to keep out strangers, to the era when it was used to expand the empire into Central Asia, to the period it was used as a trading route facilitating commerce along the Silk Road and later to allow for Buddhist expansion. Included in the text are excerpts from literature and poetry inspired by the wall that express the Chinese spirit throughout the ages.
Other Details:
165 illustrations, 150 in full color. 272 pages. 10 1/8 x 11 3/4" trim size. Published in 2001.
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This primarily pictorial representation promotes the theme that the 2000-year-old Great Wall "embraces every corner of Chinese history" from cold imperial authority to the exile of minority groups to military battles. The images portray the loneliness of China's frontier lands along the Great Wall and are supported by text developed by French researcher and writer Jan, with significant historical tracings from the works of Sima Qian, journal entries and poetry by Cai Yan, the popular legend of Meng Jiangnyu, sketches by Hongwu, and even contemporary writings by Lu Xun. There are panoramic photographs of the Great Wall as well as bas reliefs, paintings, and statues, all accompanied by detailed captions. One minor critique is that because of the detailed chronology of walls built throughout Chinese history, readers may not realize that the existing Great Wall was actually built during the Ming dynasty. Also, U.S. readers may be confused by the use of the term Fighting Kingdoms in place of the more usual Warring States. Overshadowing these minor points are the impressive images of the Great Wall. This book is rightfully dedicated to prominent French sinologist Jacques Guillermaz, who reviewed the text before he died. |
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