The
Ming dynasty's rebuilt section of the Great Wall is
still most people's image of China; this final outpost
of the Wall is the best-preserved and most spectacular.
First built in 1372, then expanded and reinforced in
1539, it was the final project of the Míng rebuilding.
Entering from the east, you first come to the Wenchang
Pavilion, restored in the late Qing dynasty, where intellectuals
were said to compose poems, lamenting their rotten luck
in being sent to live with the barbarians beyond the
Wall. Before leaving, they could enjoy performances
at the open-air theater opposite. After passing through
Guanghuá Mén, the first of the three main
17m (56-ft.) towers, they would hurl a stone against
the Wall to find out whether they would ever return
to civilization. If the stone bounced back, all was
well, but if it slithered quietly down the Wall, hope
was lost.
Another legend associated with the Wall shows that
obsession with quantification started long before 1949.
The project's supervisor demanded an exact estimate
of the number of bricks to be used in the construction
of the fort; if the number was off by one brick, the
death penalty awaited one Engineer Yì. When the
fort was completed, Yi found that there was one brick
left over. Faced with evidence of his failure, Yì
declared it "the brick to balance the fort"
(ding cheng zhuan) and walked away unscathed. The brick
sits on the side of Huì Jì Mén,
and locals joke about tripping on it.
The second main tower, Rou Yuan Men, represents the
Ming policy of peaceful coexistence with the minorities
beyond the Wall, a policy that ended in the Qing dynasty,
when Xinjiang was dragged back into the Chinese empire.
Inside the main courtyard is the Youji Yamen, where
the unfortunate generals were stationed with their families.
The building is unremarkable but for an antiques shop
on the east side. Most items are copies, and all are
overpriced, but there are genuine pieces left over from
the relocation of the museum from Jiayùguan to
the fort.
Continuing west, you face the massive outer wall, over
10m (33 ft.) high, and pass through Jiayuguan Gate.
Chinese tour groups joke about forgetting their passport,
ride camels, and dress up in funny minority costumes,
but in the past it was no joke. Locals called it the
Gate of Sighs, and the walls were scrawled with hastily
composed poems by unfortunate exiles.
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