“
It was claimed that the Chinese Empire required a form of defense to protect dynasties from raids
from the Mongolian and Manchurian tribes, hence the creation of the Great Wall. The former emperor of the
Qing Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang, forced millions of people to construct and finish off the project soon after. Little
did he know that amongst the workers that he had ordered into building the Wall, hundreds of thousands of lives
were taken under the poor working conditions and harsh terrain.
I was born an orphan, and because the rest of my known relatives had passed away I was brought up to
live with my great grandparents instead, and grew extremely close to them. One fateful day, my great
grandfather was ordered to help with the construction of the Great Wall, and eventually lost his life amongst the
rest of the dead whilst doing so. Because he was the sole breadwinner of the family, our lives underwent
tremendous transformations; we lived in extreme poverty and it was an immense struggle for my great
grandmother to keep both of us alive due to challenging circumstances.
She was never the same person again; the house was extremely quiet as she never seemed to be
engaged in any sort of conversation whatsoever, and I cannot remember seeing a genuine smile on her face ever
since. There were a lot of times when my great grandmother would go into depression and break down into a
series of inconsolable sobs, but ironically the Great Wall seemed to somehow relieve her of her pain; perhaps it
was because she believed that a part of her husband’s spirit was connected to it, and that the monument would
forever be a major part in our lives from then on.”
Her gaze then turned to the Great Wall itself, and seemed to follow its path down the endless chain of
mountains beyond it; there was a moment of silence as the old lady closed her eyes, clearly deep in thought. The
vast sky had turned a beautiful shade of scarlet, and as the sun began to set, she proceeded with her tale once
more, this time quieting down into a barely audible whisper; my ears strained to make out the words.
“
But although blood was shed in the making of the Wall, it served its role beautifully for thousands of
years, and has survived countless raids and ambushes. Not only is it a part of China, but it is also a part of my
great grandfather, my great grandmother – and me as well. Many parts of it have broken down over the years
and some have even disappeared altogether, but in my mind it will forever be whole, the same as what it was
before.”
As the old lady hobbled away, I looked at the Great Wall once more. Night had fallen, and turned the
sky a velvety shade of indigo. The yellow flowers that I had caught sight of previously had all closed up their
petals; their distinctively golden petals could no longer be seen amongst the flora and fauna. The crescent moon
that had replaced the sun was smothered by clouds, but the monument was still visible in the delicate, luminous
light as it overlooked countless mountains, snaked through deserts and rivers and travelled through towards the
outskirts of China. As I marveled the handiwork and skill of the workers who had summoned up the patience
and courage to create such a wonder, I murmured silently to myself,
“
Your great grandfather will never be forgotten, and neither will the rest be.”
As I bid my farewell to the Great Wall of China, I knew that my trip to it had indeed been a spectacular
one, and a journey that was to never be forgotten.