The Everlasting Spirit
Anny Hui, Group 3: Fiction, St. Mark's School (Secondary)
here is an idiom in China: You are not a man until you get to The Great Wall. The Great Wall is one of
the greatest wonders of the world. It was used to protect the China Empire against intrusions by the
Xiongnu people and resist invasion from other countries. It has become one of the most famous tourist
attractions in the world.
T
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic people who lived near Mongolia and the Yellow Sea. They were brave,
good at fighting and had a strong army. Consequently, they won a lot of battles and brought instability to the
nearby regions.
The existence of the Xiongnu people brought a lot of trouble and danger to China. There were many military
campaigns between Xiongnu and China. Every time they fought and China was defeated it had a disastrous
impact on China. People died, became homeless, and property was looted.
Once, the Xiongnu raided the northern part of China.
“
Your Majesty the emperor, the Xiongnu people will come to attack China again. They’ve killed many of our
soldiers. What should we do?” the chancellor asked.
“
The Xiongnu people are cruel and inhumane. We should levy more recruits and strong young men, to fight
for the empire,” the Emperor insisted.
“
Okay, I will do it immediately,” the chancellor replied.
“
Yes, all the men who are above 18-year-old must serve in the army,” the Emperor stated.
The announcement was made shortly and all the young men who were above 18 years old joined the army.
A young man called Jiang Long, who was 18-year-old, studied martial art when he was young, needed to join
the army. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to join.
“
Long, you must join the army. This is your pleasure and glory,” his mum urged.
“
Mother, I don’t want to leave you. I need to look after you,” Long begged.
“
No worries, your younger sister, Yan Qing, will look after me,” mother spoke.
“
No, I may not come back in these few years. Also, she will get married soon,” Long controverted.
“
It’s okay. I’m able to take care of myself. I’m not a child,” mother tried to persuade Long.
“
Yes, brother. I’ll take care of her. The neighbors will also look after her,” Yan Qing agreed.
“
But…”Long sighed doubtfully.
“
You should not think too much about that. You should not shirk your duty. As you know, we all have a high
expectation of you,” mum said reassuringly.
At last, Long joined the army. He fought the enemies bravely and killed many of them. A few months later,
he became admiral. He was admired and praised by everyone because he made a valiant attempt to defeat the
enemy.