The Great Wall: The Extraordinary Story of China's Wonder of the WorldDa Capo Press, 5. aug 2008 - 336 pages The Great Wall of China is a wonder of the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists take the five-mile journey from Beijing to climb its battlements. While myriad photographs have made this extraordinary landmark familiar to millions more, its story remains mysterious and steeped in myth. In this riveting account, John Man travels the entire length of the Great Wall and across two millennia to find the truth behind the legends. Along the way, he delves into the remarkable and complex history of China—from the country's tribal past, through the war with the Mongols, right up to the modern day when the Great Wall is once more a commanding emblem of China, the resurgent superpower. |
Contents
The Wall of China Does Not Exist | 1 |
The First Emperors LessthanGreat Wall | 15 |
The Walls Everywoman | 37 |
A Threat from the North | 51 |
War over the Wall | 62 |
The Wall Goes West | 77 |
The Han Dynasty Wall 823 | 82 |
Wallhunt in the Gobi | 103 |
To the Ordos and Beyond | 197 |
The Ming Wall 2701 | 202 |
Guarding the Way West | 216 |
The Centre Ground | 225 |
Climbing around Beijing | 244 |
The End of the Wall the End of the Ming | 274 |
The Wall Reborn | 295 |
Dates and Dynasties | 317 |
The Concubine and the Barbarian | 118 |
Losing the Lost Legion | 125 |
A Grassland Mystery | 138 |
The Coming of the Mongols | 155 |
Disaster at Tumu | 179 |
| 319 | |
Picture Acknowledgements | 325 |
| 327 | |
Other editions - View all
The Great Wall: The Extraordinary Story of China's Wonder of the World John Man Limited preview - 2009 |
The Great Wall: The Extraordinary Story of China's Wonder of the World John Man Limited preview - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
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