All Along the Watchtower

The 10000 Li Wall was originally intended to keep the Hoardes of Mongols/Huns out of the Middle Kingdom, and far, far away from Beijing. History, which is full of paradox because of our human greed, is full of irony, too: the Mongols were alowed to walk in and take over the place, after all.

There are thousands of stories about the construction of the Wall, and a great number of men died during construction, making it not only a fortress, but a grave.

One story we have is that parts of the wall violate feng shui, and that this was the reason for the eventual take-over. All of this aside, when you look at it, and see how it winds through the bones of the dragon, through the beautiful mountains outside of Beijing, you cannot help but feel as a part of history. As I looked out, and saw the stretch of rocks hewn from the ground to be put on top of mountains by men who could never dream how lasting would be their work, I knew then how the will of those with vision can make structure so durable that those who might seek to oppose it, then use it for their own purposes.
There will still be a ten thousand li wall ten thousand years from now, and probably a China, too. And, against the wall, I felt very small, but realized my heart was big for the Chinese people.