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It's one of the world's
greatest engineering wonders

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the Great Wall of China

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They say it can even be seen
from space.


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It is a military masterpiece

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that has witnessed hundreds of battles,

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Yet it still holds many mysteries.

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British writer and historiam
William Lindsay

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has lived in China for 20 years.

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Exploring the Great Wall
has become his lifetime obsession.

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Lindsay has spent thousands
of days on the Wall

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has walked thousands of kilometers
along it.

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How long is the Great Wall really?

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How many years did it take to build?

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And why was it built at all?

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It is only a short trip from Beijing

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to one of China's
most popular attractions.

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Millions of tourists come here every year

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to see the stone dragon.

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The Great Wall of China.

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Most of the people walking
on the Great Wall, here today

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will go home and say,

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"I have been to the Great Wall of China"

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but the Great Wall is not a place

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it ranges across the sub-continental
expanse of North China

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and along its course.

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many of the locations seldom visited

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and some are virtually unknown.

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In 1987, Lindsay fulfilled
his childhood dream.

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He walked on the Chinese Wall
2,700 kilometers.

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Only a few pictures remain
from this adventure

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because his films
were repeatedly confiscated.

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Foreigners were barred 
from many parts of China.

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Those times have long changed.

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China has opened up to the world

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and an adventurer
has turned into a schollar.

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Lindsay now seeks out 
traces of the Great Wall of China.

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right across the country.

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Twenty three years after his first trip
he sets off again.

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Doing the same, exploring
23 years later

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is really testament of the immensity

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of what we call the Great Wall of China.

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In the last two-and-a-half decades

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I explored the Wall more 1,700 days,

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I have discovered it is the world's
most famous building

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but the least-known.

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There is always something new to discover.

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There is no single Great Wall.

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There are lots of walls in northern China.

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built by different dynasties
for more than 2,000 years.

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William Lindsay is taking us 
to one of the most remote places

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a 2,300 kilometers drive west of Beijing
to the city of Dunhuang,

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into the Gobi Desert.

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I drove nearly there

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some 75 miles northwest of Dunhuang

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and that is a nice sunny day
in the Gobi Desert,

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perfect conditions for exploring
the Great Wall.

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In the shimmering heat 
the dark ribbon along the horizon

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at first looks like a mirage

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but these really are
the remains of a wall.

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literally in the middle of nowhere.

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Well, one of the most precious parts
of the Great Wall of China

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this is the Han wall 
built 2,100 years ago.

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I am not the first traffic to come here.

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This is the Silk Road.

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So, merchants would come
from the deserts in Central Asia

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entering China at this point

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and then proceed east 
to the heartland of China.

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So, let us take a close look.

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Built over 2,000 years ago,

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this wall looks completely different
to the familiar Great Wall near Beijing.

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It is not built of stone

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but this construction material
has kept it strong for milennia,

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reed and gravel.

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But who was this wall meant to protect
so far from civilization?

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The Han dynasty rulers 
wanted to open their empire

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to trade with the west.

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So they secured control
of the eastern end

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of what became known as the Silk Road.

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The Han Chinese occupied 
the vital ashi??? corridor

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that runs along the Silk Road

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between the northern steppes
and the Hymalayan foothills.

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It is a real border,
not just between peoples

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but between lifestyle.

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The nomads of the steppe
live in yurts,

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the traditional round tent.

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They live entirely from their livestock

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wandering over the steppe.

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They pitch their yurts
wherever they find grazing land

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for their herds.

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After enduring long hard winters
in the stepes

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these nomadic warriors ransacked
China's northern provinces.

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Year after year they killed and ???

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stealing food and metals

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everything their lifestyle
prevented them producing.

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The Chinese regarded their Empire
as the cradle of civilization.

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According to their Confucion philosophy

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it was the cultural centerof the world.

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Appeasing the barbarians
along the border by trading

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was out of the question.

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War was too expensive.

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So, the Han Emperor decided 
to build a wall.

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How many people were involved
in rhe construction of the Han wall?

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No one knows for sure.

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but reliable sources quote the calculations
presented to the Emperor.

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If one soldier can build three paces
of the wall in one month,

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then 300 men can build three li
about one and a half kilometers.

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That means a thousand li,
or about 530 kilometers,

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would take 100,000 men one month
to complete.

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So far so good.

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and so many.

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Most of the soldiers
were stationed at the towers.

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The towers had a dual use

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to make the most effective the defense.

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The beacon tower behind me 
was not only the perfect vantage point

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for guards on this frontier
to watch for the enemy

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coming from the north.

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It was a signalling station.

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So, when the enemy was sighted,
this beacon would have been ignited.

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'This is how it worked.

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As soon as a guard spotted
nomadic warriors

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he transmitted smoke signals 
by daylight

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or beacon fires at night.

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The alarm was communicated along the wall

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to guarrisons located in the hinterland.

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How long is the Han wall?

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Only recently have Chinese experts
started to find out.

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We will join the local
archaeological survey team

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who are taking part
in a national survey.

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to locate and ???
of the Han ???

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A team is heading out
into the Gobi Desert.

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They need a whole summer
just to measure this section of the wall.

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At noon, the temperature can climb
to over 40 degrees Celsius.

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Today the team is exploring
a fortification

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that lies in the hinterland
of the hard wall.

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This could have been a garrison
for support troops.

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Today the remais are hardly visible.

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This tower has a name, 
it is called "Half Tower"

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obviously because
half the tower is missing.

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The team are here today
to locate the fortifications with GPS.

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I 'm wondering how they are going
to measure the height,

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because it is so crumbly,
I'll ask him.

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(In Chinese)

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So, they don't have to climb up
the tower to measure it.

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They have a device here.

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A laser rangefinder collects the data.

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It will be a few years before
the results of the survey are summarized

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and a figure can be given 
for the length of the Han wall.

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So, from here to the Jade Gate
is about 45-50 kilometers

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and there are three sections of the wall
that are quite visible

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and in between
there is virtually nothing

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although the archaeologists 
may find traces.

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Mr. Young is very reluctant
to give a guess estimate

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of how many kilometers
of the Han wall are standing.

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GPS team leader, Mr. Young,
has given William directions

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to a place in the desert

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where the wall has a unique shape.

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It is a 16 kilometer hike

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so William is buying provisions
for the trip, at ??? market.

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Well, raw meat would not be
very good in the desert.

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A lot of what he sees doesn't seem
too useful for a desert track.

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but he finally finds what he needs.

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Successful shopping trip, for 1.99 or so,

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a good supply of high-energy foods.

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Hmmm... delicious.

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Next morning, at 5 o'clock,
Lindsay sets off for the hike.

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Lots of satellites...
It is 14.4

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so, it is about 9 miles or more...

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He is not walking alone.

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In the desert it would be too dangerous

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With him is his Chinese friend
Piao ???

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Their GPS says they will reach
the unique strip of wall

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in five hours.

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It is cool now, but the sparse vegetation
is tender-dry.

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There has not been any rainfall here
for months.

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They are walking
in a featureless landscape.

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Consider a solitary tree over there.

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Back in 1987, I just had a big map
of the whole country.

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Basically, my journey along the Wall

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from the desert to the sea

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was like that.

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1,700 miles, not the ideal map
for hiking across desert grassland.

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It is nearly noon 
and the Sun is burning.

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but finally they arrive at the place
they have been looking for.

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There it is!

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We made it.

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Ah ah! At last!

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Great!

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Brilliant!

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For William it is already worth the trip
even the five hours back .

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Amazing!

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Oh, look at that! Fantastic!

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Of all the faces that 
the Great Wall of China has

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this is the rarest of them all.

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This wall is made of wood.

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It has six layers of branches there

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and in between minimal use of the gravel

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so, I am really glad I have come here today

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a well worth a 10-mile track.

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Leaving the Dunhuang region
and making his way east

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and on the ancient Silk Road

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William is aiming for a town
called ???

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The historic site is five kilometers
out of town.

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And the best view is from the sky.

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A giant castle guarding the Wall

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built in 1539 by Jiajing,
emperor of the Ming dynasty.

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The Ming emperor's contempt
for the nomads

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reached grotesque proportions

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with the demand that the character G
standing for barbarians

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should be written as small as possible.

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After the Han dynasty,
other dynasties rose and fell.

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Many of them build walls

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but none of any significant length.

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Ming emperor Jiajing ascended
the Dragon throne in 1521.

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He renewed the Han tradition

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established in ancient times

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constructing a long wall
at the northern border

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with its westernmost point
at the Jaiughuang Pass

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Jaiughuang translates as 
Barrier to the Pleasant Valley.

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and Pleasant Valley means China.

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This gigantic fort is build
in the foothills of the Hymalayas.

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In the courtyard the mighty walls
form a kind of maze

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to stop invaders in their tracks.

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And there is a wonderful legend
about its construction.

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To avoid wastage of materials 
prior to construction of the fortress,

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the architect was asked
to calculate exactly

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how many bricks were required.

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He computed 999,999.

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The bricks were delivered
the fortress built

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and at the end, the chief of works 
confronted the architect with a brick

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and said, "This is wasted".

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Bur the architect was too smart.

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He said, "No, I factored that 
into the equation.

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"That brick should be placed
over the portal

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"and it will bring all the guards
in the fortress

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"and all of those travelers passing
under these portals good fortune".

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Six hundred years later 
the leftover brick still remains.

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Next to the fort is the starting point
of the wall constructed by the Ming.


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This wall has nothing in common
with the brick and stone wall

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north of Beijing.

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It is made of rammed earth

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and although is more than 400 years old

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it is still in good shape

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and it is still wide enough
to walk on.

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On his walks along the walls

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William Lindsay soon learned
he could count on receiving

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warm hospitality from the farmers
along the ???.

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Before coming to China 
my family and friends

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were very concerned in 1987
going to China,

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the big communist country
on the other side of the world

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all the people going to be friendly

251
00:18:22,629 --> 00:18:24,609
and I didn't have a support crew with me.

252
00:18:24,641 --> 00:18:26,291
I depended on farmers.

253
00:18:26,357 --> 00:18:32,887
I discovered very early on
the farmers were my great allies

254
00:18:33,747 --> 00:18:37,914
even with very little Chinese 
but a lot of sign language and smiling

255
00:18:37,970 --> 00:18:41,009
I got what I needed, food, water, shelter.

256
00:18:41,074 --> 00:18:44,124
Without them I could not
have been successful.

257
00:18:47,730 --> 00:18:49,949
Even if many of them can't understand

258
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,639
why a foreigner shoud be
so interested in the Wall.

259
00:18:52,690 --> 00:18:56,259
For them, this is no monument
but simply a part of their village

260
00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,459
and one with a perfectly practical use.

261
00:19:00,259 --> 00:19:04,149
I was asking him why these holes 
in the Wall.

262
00:19:04,250 --> 00:19:08,169
I thought they were nests
but in fact, previously,

263
00:19:08,360 --> 00:19:11,129
the farmers were right up against the Wall

264
00:19:11,170 --> 00:19:14,299
so, there were wooden beams 
going into the Wall

265
00:19:14,344 --> 00:19:17,084
but the Great Wall experts,

266
00:19:17,110 --> 00:19:19,499
the Cultural Heritage Protection
authorities

267
00:19:19,540 --> 00:19:25,309
requested the farmers to destroy
these buildings and move back

268
00:19:25,379 --> 00:19:28,470
in order to protect the national heritage

269
00:19:28,730 --> 00:19:31,129
If you want to know
how Ming dynasty masons

270
00:19:31,179 --> 00:19:33,839
constructed their wall
more than 400 years ago,

271
00:19:33,899 --> 00:19:36,288
all you have to do
is keep your eyes open.

272
00:19:36,339 --> 00:19:40,749
Even today Chinese farmers build walls
in the same way their ancestors did.

273
00:19:40,990 --> 00:19:43,879
They tamp the earth in a wooden casing

274
00:19:43,902 --> 00:19:46,122
tamp put layer on layer.

275
00:19:46,638 --> 00:19:51,098
They even sing the traditional folk songs
passed down from their forefathers.

276
00:19:52,054 --> 00:19:54,954
A house is not complete
without a wall around it.

277
00:19:54,996 --> 00:19:57,566
says an old Chinese proverbe.

278
00:20:00,490 --> 00:20:05,219
My friend Chan is building his wall
to enclose this compound

279
00:20:05,260 --> 00:20:07,649
so, this is the final piece of work

280
00:20:07,700 --> 00:20:13,179
and this is embedded in Chinese
architectural tradition

281
00:20:16,870 --> 00:20:20,979
whether it is a compound
or a village or a kingdom.

282
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:25,199
It must be enclosed,
completely safe.

283
00:20:38,972 --> 00:20:42,231
They build most on the main wall
just like this,

284
00:20:42,271 --> 00:20:44,030
it is a rammed earth wall.

285
00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:48,939
Imagine how many billion thuds
it took

286
00:21:00,849 --> 00:21:04,159
The singing is an important part of the work.

287
00:21:05,034 --> 00:21:09,264
It keeps all the rammers in step of the beat

288
00:21:10,450 --> 00:21:13,889
so, they are all in step
going along the wall

289
00:21:14,060 --> 00:21:15,929
they get into a rhytm.

290
00:21:16,830 --> 00:21:19,729
The actual content...

291
00:21:20,250 --> 00:21:23,229
Oh, I have been in China 23 years

292
00:21:23,310 --> 00:21:25,749
and this guy has a really heavy accent.

293
00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:26,999
It is a bit difficult.

294
00:21:27,024 --> 00:21:29,244
But it is definitely a kind of rap.

295
00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:30,849
It changes the words

296
00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:32,949
and occasionally you hear them chuckle,

297
00:21:32,970 --> 00:21:35,129
so, I think he gets a little digging
about those

298
00:21:35,140 --> 00:21:39,139
who are kind of falling
behind in distance

299
00:21:39,430 --> 00:21:43,729
or maybe he can tell by the thirds
if someone is answered cheer.

300
00:21:52,650 --> 00:21:55,619
This group of about 20 farmers,
mostly women,

301
00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,119
took a day to erect about 27 meters of wall.

302
00:21:59,580 --> 00:22:03,219
We don't know if their ancestors
could have worked better or faster

303
00:22:04,620 --> 00:22:08,679
but we do know they would have used 
the same materials and tools

304
00:22:08,839 --> 00:22:11,559
except for the tractors carrying the clay

305
00:22:12,139 --> 00:22:13,789
and the cell phones.

306
00:22:49,701 --> 00:22:52,010
On his journey along the walls of China

307
00:22:52,020 --> 00:22:54,049
William Lindsay is walking eastwards

308
00:22:54,450 --> 00:22:57,089
out of the Hershey corridor
and turning north

309
00:22:57,115 --> 00:22:59,925
along the Great Wall of the Ming dynasty

310
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,130
into the great loop of the Yellow River,

311
00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:07,509
the cradle of China's civilization.

312
00:23:21,791 --> 00:23:25,680
This is always been the gateway 
for the nomads to enter China.

313
00:23:28,470 --> 00:23:31,519
Here though wind and weather 
have done their worst

314
00:23:31,550 --> 00:23:34,019
the wall and its towers can still
be made up

315
00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,129
on the crags above the river.

316
00:23:46,750 --> 00:23:50,849
The ??? and forts were the outposts
of this defensive outer wall.

317
00:23:51,450 --> 00:23:54,379
Today, their use is strictly non-military.

318
00:24:23,790 --> 00:24:26,019
I love staying in the countryside.

319
00:24:26,540 --> 00:24:29,509
This building is made
of thick blocks of limestone

320
00:24:29,550 --> 00:24:31,429
and on the roof there is turf.

321
00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:33,579
Then you come here in winter,

322
00:24:33,630 --> 00:24:35,639
we have a good method
for keeping you warm.

323
00:24:35,682 --> 00:24:36,822
You see this?

324
00:24:36,934 --> 00:24:39,904
It is not a bed, it is called the kang,
k-a-n-g.

325
00:24:41,006 --> 00:24:45,516
And they put the fuel here, light it

326
00:24:45,550 --> 00:24:47,689
— you can do the cooking here —

327
00:24:47,690 --> 00:24:49,769
you have got a nice bed for the night.

328
00:24:51,034 --> 00:24:54,894
So, I have got full board and lodging

329
00:24:57,590 --> 00:25:00,089
breakfast on morning
and dinner this evening

330
00:25:00,130 --> 00:25:02,509
and lunch coming up soon

331
00:25:02,530 --> 00:25:04,709
for less than 10 dollars.

332
00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:33,279
I should apologize for the slurping.

333
00:25:33,370 --> 00:25:35,659
It is part and parcel of eating in China

334
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,269
considered the sound of an appreciation.

335
00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,549
The ingredients of the lunch
William is appreciating today

336
00:25:47,590 --> 00:25:51,269
are also the reason the nomads
raided the land of the Yellow River

337
00:25:51,339 --> 00:25:53,379
throughout the 16th century.

338
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:01,889
In the year 1549, the barbarians
come to plunder.

339
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,909
But the nomadic cavalry ???
to a virtual standstill

340
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:29,719
at the new border wall at Chuan Fu.

341
00:26:30,569 --> 00:26:32,319
The wall stands fast

342
00:26:32,340 --> 00:26:35,779
and the nomadic troops are unable
to capture the Chinese granary.

343
00:26:36,730 --> 00:26:38,469
Does this mean defeat?

344
00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:42,079
The barbarians do not give up.

345
00:26:42,090 --> 00:26:44,079
They have a message for the Chinese.

346
00:26:45,580 --> 00:26:48,639
They will attack Beijing, the capital.

347
00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:53,849
By marching east, the nomad army
finds its way around the wall,

348
00:26:53,879 --> 00:26:57,719
thus avoiding the Ming emperor's
elaborate border fortifications.

349
00:26:58,150 --> 00:27:01,429
No one had suspected the nomads
could cross the natural barrier,

350
00:27:01,890 --> 00:27:04,479
the mountain range north of Beijing.

351
00:27:07,940 --> 00:27:12,319
Back in 1550, the nomads did not meet
with any serious opposition

352
00:27:12,340 --> 00:27:13,879
on their way south.

353
00:27:21,751 --> 00:27:25,190
They terrorized Beijing suburbs
for three days.

354
00:27:25,370 --> 00:27:27,460
They demanded trading rights

355
00:27:27,500 --> 00:27:31,969
leaving the Forbidden City untouched
before drawing back to the steppes.

356
00:27:35,850 --> 00:27:37,629
After a short period of trading,

357
00:27:37,649 --> 00:27:42,249
the Ming emperor started building
a wall of stone north of Beijing.


358
00:27:43,060 --> 00:27:45,889
Between the 1550s and 1644,

359
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,849
it reached a length of at least
1,200 kilometers.

360
00:27:49,070 --> 00:27:50,589
The Stone Dragon,

361
00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,779
the Chinese Great Wall,
as the world knows it today.

362
00:28:03,660 --> 00:28:06,189
How many people were needed
to build it?

363
00:28:06,590 --> 00:28:08,229
Official figures are rare

364
00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,879
but in some inaccessible sections
of the wall

365
00:28:10,890 --> 00:28:13,819
there are still stone tablets
engraved with texts

366
00:28:13,870 --> 00:28:16,099
that could give us that information.

367
00:28:24,990 --> 00:28:27,619
I am hoping this stone is going
to tell me something about

368
00:28:27,649 --> 00:28:28,979
when this wall was built,

369
00:28:28,990 --> 00:28:30,579
how many people were involved

370
00:28:30,644 --> 00:28:32,324
and mention some place names.

371
00:28:32,341 --> 00:28:34,701
From here, the inscription
looks very faint

372
00:28:34,740 --> 00:28:38,769
but we have a ladder,
master artisan, Mr. Hou

373
00:28:39,070 --> 00:28:43,649
and with his simple tools
we are going to copy the stone

374
00:28:44,030 --> 00:28:45,799
and produce a rubbing

375
00:28:45,830 --> 00:28:49,389
which hopefully will reveal
the full content of the tablet.

376
00:29:00,910 --> 00:29:03,469
This ancient Chinese copying technique

377
00:29:03,510 --> 00:29:07,769
starts with gluing a sheet of paper
onto the tablet, simply with water.

378
00:29:10,410 --> 00:29:12,479
This is step number one.

379
00:29:12,550 --> 00:29:14,689
Step number two, ???

380
00:29:14,736 --> 00:29:17,066
translates literally as typing characters.

381
00:29:17,112 --> 00:29:19,222
So, he is using a brush

382
00:29:19,263 --> 00:29:24,063
and he is hammering the paper
into the carvings.

383
00:29:51,470 --> 00:29:56,189
The higher parts of the paper 
will be blackened

384
00:29:56,289 --> 00:29:59,489
and the lower parts that have gone
into the characters

385
00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:01,599
and any design along the edges

386
00:30:01,790 --> 00:30:03,439
they will remain white.

387
00:30:14,270 --> 00:30:16,849
After three hours of spounging
and drying,

388
00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:19,160
Mr. Ho presents his piece of art.

389
00:30:21,850 --> 00:30:25,449
It looks like a blueprint
or an old archived document.

390
00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,069
And he helps William translate
the ancient Chinese characters.

391
00:30:33,139 --> 00:30:36,079
which today hardly anybody can read.

392
00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:56,389
This stone is telling us
that two military officials

393
00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,089
in charge of 1,100 families,

394
00:30:59,270 --> 00:31:04,029
put in the effort to build 250 yards of wall

395
00:31:04,359 --> 00:31:06,909
in the autumn of 1579.

396
00:31:07,020 --> 00:31:10,819
So, in terms of very simple
arithmetic productivity,

397
00:31:10,849 --> 00:31:14,699
we are talking about
four persons per family

398
00:31:15,839 --> 00:31:22,459
4,500 people working for 8 to 10 weeks
in the autumn of 1579

399
00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:24,399
to build that.

400
00:31:27,570 --> 00:31:29,189
Whereas the tamped earth walls

401
00:31:29,244 --> 00:31:31,474
were built by untrained serfs or peasants

402
00:31:31,521 --> 00:31:34,131
this project required special knowledge.

403
00:31:34,589 --> 00:31:37,389
Hundreds of master builders
and skilled engineers,

404
00:31:37,534 --> 00:31:40,894
thousands of stone cutters
and tens of thousands of masons

405
00:31:40,926 --> 00:31:43,276
were recruited to build the wall.

406
00:31:45,050 --> 00:31:49,029
And another factor led to the costs 
rising exponentially.

407
00:32:03,380 --> 00:32:07,289
Tamped earth walls were built 
using materials available on site.

408
00:32:08,050 --> 00:32:12,179
The material for the new wall
had to be manufactured before use.

409
00:32:12,939 --> 00:32:15,879
The Chinese had devised
a network of brick kilns

410
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:18,079
set up near the construction sites.

411
00:32:18,269 --> 00:32:20,879
One of these sites was found
by local farmers

412
00:32:20,944 --> 00:32:23,394
and inspected by Professor ???

413
00:32:23,451 --> 00:32:26,981
curator of the Great Wall Museum
in Jiayuguan.

414
00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:32,829
So, at this location they discovered
around 60 brick kilns

415
00:32:32,850 --> 00:32:37,689
and its ranks as the best
production centre of bricks

416
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:41,439
preserved along the whole length
of the Great Wall.

417
00:32:42,050 --> 00:32:44,779
It is estimated that each kiln

418
00:32:45,224 --> 00:32:47,294
could fire 5,000 bricks.

419
00:32:47,410 --> 00:32:50,369
Now, given that there are 60 kilns
in this valley

420
00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:53,909
the production of this center alone

421
00:32:54,070 --> 00:32:59,459
would be equal to 300,000
bricks per month,

422
00:32:59,589 --> 00:33:01,969
industrial scale production.

423
00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:07,759
Mass production is one thing

424
00:33:08,219 --> 00:33:10,839
but it is a different matter
to transport the product

425
00:33:10,860 --> 00:33:12,369
to where it is needed.

426
00:33:12,849 --> 00:33:14,399
Logistics.

427
00:33:18,350 --> 00:33:20,709
Now, key question, 
very interesting question is

428
00:33:20,879 --> 00:33:23,848
how did they move all the bricks up there?

429
00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:36,899
Again, there is almost no historical record
to answer this question.

430
00:33:37,289 --> 00:33:39,719
But Professor Huang has his theories.

431
00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:46,529
People may have carried a few bricks
on their backs, like this.

432
00:33:46,829 --> 00:33:50,989
And also it has been suggested
a herd of goats could have carried

433
00:33:51,019 --> 00:33:53,269
a lot of bricks up there
quite effectively.

434
00:33:54,510 --> 00:33:56,399
Two bricks on the back of the goats

435
00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:58,678
and the bricks were joined together
with rope,

436
00:33:58,729 --> 00:34:02,079
so, the goat is quite balanced
as it is moving up the mountain.

437
00:34:09,449 --> 00:34:13,389
Even without bricks on your back
it is a hard slog up to the wall.

438
00:34:13,629 --> 00:34:15,329
But it is worth it.

439
00:34:15,460 --> 00:34:18,759
Hardly any tourists makeit
to this isolated section.

440
00:34:31,859 --> 00:34:34,509
Every time I come up here 
on these trails

441
00:34:34,550 --> 00:34:36,659
??? the builders,

442
00:34:36,710 --> 00:34:40,589
who had so ???
all of these building materials up here,

443
00:34:40,610 --> 00:34:42,848
all of these blocks,
all of these bricks.

444
00:34:49,199 --> 00:34:51,699
The sometimes bizarre roots
taken by this wall

445
00:34:51,759 --> 00:34:53,469
has led many experts to believe

446
00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:55,769
that more than
just defensive considerations

447
00:34:55,790 --> 00:34:57,379
were in play here.

448
00:34:57,544 --> 00:35:00,544
For generations, the Chinese
had followed the practice

449
00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:04,369
of the Feng Shui, the teachings
of wind and water.

450
00:35:06,019 --> 00:35:09,319
Feng Shui experts were
^probably consulted and obeyed

451
00:35:09,370 --> 00:35:11,119
before the building of the wall

452
00:35:11,130 --> 00:35:14,350
to make sure that the forces of nature
would work in its favor.

453
00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:21,989
Spending his days alone on the wall

454
00:35:22,010 --> 00:35:25,429
Lindsay imagines how the soldiers
must have suffered here,

455
00:35:25,790 --> 00:35:27,169
cut off from the world,

456
00:35:27,190 --> 00:35:29,219
enduring winds and foul weather,

457
00:35:29,224 --> 00:35:31,944
squeezed into bare and cramped quarters

458
00:35:31,981 --> 00:35:33,591
for months on end.

459
00:35:53,390 --> 00:35:55,709
Finally, this wall is a monument

460
00:35:55,769 --> 00:35:58,639
to the close world view
of the Ming Empire.

461
00:35:59,669 --> 00:36:01,819
It circumscribed their universe

462
00:36:01,859 --> 00:36:04,509
and excluded everything ???

463
00:36:07,419 --> 00:36:09,419
Often scratching around in this rubble

464
00:36:09,460 --> 00:36:12,029
you can find bits of pottery.

465
00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:15,299
I'm not sure if this stone is...

466
00:36:17,650 --> 00:36:20,339
Interesting, maybe a griff on it.

467
00:36:33,962 --> 00:36:35,451
It might be...

468
00:36:38,201 --> 00:36:39,150
Ah!

469
00:36:42,450 --> 00:36:49,229
That is a stone bomb

470
00:36:51,111 --> 00:36:53,520
that would have been packed
with gunpowder

471
00:36:54,251 --> 00:36:56,090
a mud seal

472
00:36:56,240 --> 00:36:57,329
a fuse,

473
00:36:58,020 --> 00:37:00,860
and the trowels were packed with these

474
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:02,509
maybe 50 or 100

475
00:37:02,580 --> 00:37:05,409
to be lobbed off the wall

476
00:37:05,499 --> 00:37:08,209
when the tower was attacked.

477
00:37:08,300 --> 00:37:09,859
That is a really good find.

478
00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:23,409
320 km further east, we find
another example of living history

479
00:37:33,130 --> 00:37:34,799
This is John Ho Chan.

480
00:37:34,860 --> 00:37:39,509
His ancestors built a wall here
440 years ago.

481
00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:43,719
Close by, towers have other family names

482
00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:46,309
like the Chang Tower
or the Wang Tower

483
00:37:46,350 --> 00:37:47,770
or the Lo Tower.

484
00:37:47,810 --> 00:37:51,049
Here we have the family history
of the Great Wall.

485
00:37:51,220 --> 00:37:54,809
still living on 440 years 
after it was built.

486
00:38:03,990 --> 00:38:06,519
Even today, they still worship
their ancestors

487
00:38:06,579 --> 00:38:08,859
by celebrating ancient festivals.

488
00:38:15,230 --> 00:38:16,989
Other '??? was ???

489
00:38:17,010 --> 00:38:19,329
she should be quite nice,
fresh pork.

490
00:38:22,090 --> 00:38:26,459
It would have been a rare moment
of relaxation and abundance in a hard life.

491
00:38:33,864 --> 00:38:35,474
As the oldest member of his family,

492
00:38:35,530 --> 00:38:38,389
Mr. Jam makes the sacrifice 
to his ancestors

493
00:38:39,044 --> 00:38:40,784
and burns incense sticks.

494
00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:01,929
Then the living generations
of the Jang family bow to the dead

495
00:39:02,609 --> 00:39:05,159
and to their own great history

496
00:39:14,929 --> 00:39:18,799
The village families had to look after
and feed the soldiers in the towers.

497
00:39:24,150 --> 00:39:27,349
Their takeaway food service
survives to this day.

498
00:39:29,984 --> 00:39:34,854
Jang the farmer, down in the village
prepared some delicacies for me.

499
00:39:35,751 --> 00:39:38,441
So, munch on up here
after my hike.

500
00:39:39,705 --> 00:39:42,295
It is amazing to think
that 400 years ago

501
00:39:42,352 --> 00:39:45,612
guards garrisoned up on the wall
would be sent this

502
00:39:45,730 --> 00:39:47,809
by the families.

503
00:39:49,540 --> 00:39:53,179
It is a loaf, it is a kind of pastry

504
00:39:54,250 --> 00:39:57,839
kept fresh in one
of these large oak leaves.

505
00:39:59,220 --> 00:40:01,689
You can see the leaf prints
on the pastry.

506
00:40:04,169 --> 00:40:05,569
Let's have a taste.

507
00:40:09,140 --> 00:40:11,569
Hmm... Full of trives.

508
00:40:13,500 --> 00:40:15,549
Kind a Chinese hamburger,

509
00:40:15,670 --> 00:40:18,859
maybe the original Chinese takeaway

510
00:40:19,590 --> 00:40:21,529
for those up on the wall.

511
00:40:32,180 --> 00:40:35,929
By 1644, just short of a hundred years
of construction

512
00:40:36,140 --> 00:40:40,559
the most impressive defense wall
ever made by men, was finished.

513
00:40:41,619 --> 00:40:44,609
However, it was not
one single Great Wall.

514
00:40:44,669 --> 00:40:47,549
It comprised a system of several
defense lines

515
00:40:47,844 --> 00:40:50,234
from the mountains to the sea.

516
00:40:54,810 --> 00:40:58,000
In 2009, after a national survey
of the Ming Wall

517
00:40:58,060 --> 00:41:03,339
Chinese officials announced
that the total length is 8,850 kilometers.

518
00:41:05,139 --> 00:41:07,379
This is the end at ???

519
00:41:07,420 --> 00:41:10,009
meaning Mountain Sea ???

520
00:41:15,270 --> 00:41:19,869
The Chinese liken the Great Ming Wall
to a dragon sneaking across their land

521
00:41:20,020 --> 00:41:24,119
and here it comes to a geographical end
at the dragon's head

522
00:41:24,399 --> 00:41:25,859
of the Yellow Sea.

523
00:41:26,290 --> 00:41:31,269
Not far from this location, in 1644,
the commander of Shanghai Guang

524
00:41:31,470 --> 00:41:33,569
faced his biggest challenge

525
00:41:33,650 --> 00:41:38,149
an event which led to the end
of the Great Wall functioning

526
00:41:38,194 --> 00:41:39,804
as a national defense.

527
00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:46,099
Professor Huan is taking William
to the gates of walls

528
00:41:46,180 --> 00:41:48,339
in the outskirts of Shanghaiguan.

529
00:41:48,410 --> 00:41:52,499
This is the place where the Great Wall
story came to an end.

530
00:41:54,910 --> 00:41:56,659
The construction of the Great Wall

531
00:41:56,700 --> 00:41:58,969
led to the financial
and strategic collapse

532
00:41:59,020 --> 00:42:00,739
of the Ming dynasty.

533
00:42:00,749 --> 00:42:03,559
Revolts broke out everywhere
in the Empire.

534
00:42:04,269 --> 00:42:06,679
An army of rebel peasants 
marched on Beijing

535
00:42:06,734 --> 00:42:08,654
where they toppled the emperor.

536
00:42:08,716 --> 00:42:12,476
Then on to Shanghaiguan
the last stronghold of the Ming Empire.

537
00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:15,749
But a mighty army had risen 
from the steppes

538
00:42:15,779 --> 00:42:17,429
heading for the Middle Kingdom.

539
00:42:17,450 --> 00:42:18,799
The Manchus.

540
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:22,169
Caught in between, ???

541
00:42:22,549 --> 00:42:26,039
He was the general in command
of the fortress at Shanghaiguam

542
00:42:27,229 --> 00:42:29,159
Now he was under siege.

543
00:42:31,059 --> 00:42:32,649
What could he do?

544
00:42:33,219 --> 00:42:34,989
This was a powerful garrison.

545
00:42:35,069 --> 00:42:38,359
But was it powerful enough
to fight off attackers on two fronts?

546
00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:49,479
Professor Huang tells William Lindsay

547
00:42:49,499 --> 00:42:51,429
the solution he found.

548
00:42:52,930 --> 00:42:55,779
Trapped between two enemies,
commander ???

549
00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:57,439
knew he could not defeat them both

550
00:42:57,439 --> 00:42:58,849
so, he came up with a plan,

551
00:42:58,909 --> 00:43:03,879
to offer an alliance treaty 
with the Manchus in the north

552
00:43:03,910 --> 00:43:09,189
and the two armies joined
and confronted the peasant rebel army

553
00:43:09,420 --> 00:43:10,899
and they defeated them,

554
00:43:11,025 --> 00:43:14,025
A wall is only as strong
as the men who guard it,

555
00:43:14,061 --> 00:43:16,211
Genghis Khan is supposed 
to have said,

556
00:43:16,240 --> 00:43:18,079
his successes from the steppes

557
00:43:18,110 --> 00:43:20,449
the Manchus would have agreed with him.

558
00:43:21,300 --> 00:43:25,469
80,000 Manchu soldiers
passed through this gate.

559
00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:29,189
and answered the heartland of China

560
00:43:29,780 --> 00:43:31,869
The Manchus founded a new dynasty

561
00:43:31,900 --> 00:43:34,099
which in effect ruled
over the Middle Kingdom

562
00:43:34,100 --> 00:43:35,809
until 1912.

563
00:43:38,059 --> 00:43:41,409
They called themselves Xing,
meaning "the Pure".

564
00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:49,479
And the Great Wall was of no use anymore.

565
00:43:51,299 --> 00:43:53,909
But its story did not come to an end,

566
00:43:54,330 --> 00:43:59,829
Even today nobody knows how long
all the great walls of China really are.

567
00:44:00,454 --> 00:44:04,914
There are still many more walls 
and stories to be discovered.

568
00:44:06,220 --> 00:44:09,099
And William Lindsay will not stop
walking the Great Wall

569
00:44:09,150 --> 00:44:10,929
until he knows them all.

570
00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:13,289
I don't think in future

571
00:44:13,329 --> 00:44:17,589
so many people will be organized
in such a methodical way

572
00:44:17,910 --> 00:44:21,009
to create something that
was not just history

573
00:44:21,050 --> 00:44:22,969
that not just fell apart

574
00:44:23,002 --> 00:44:27,862
but is left as part of the geography
of China and the world.

575
00:44:27,954 --> 00:44:31,004
Certainly in future,
there are goint to be new wonders,

576
00:44:31,070 --> 00:44:35,239
communications, longer life,
exploring planets,

577
00:44:35,300 --> 00:44:39,343
but in terms of blood, sweat and tears

578
00:44:39,383 --> 00:44:42,326
the Great Wall of China
I think is the ultimate

579
00:44:42,366 --> 00:44:45,020
and that is why I am continuing
to understand it.

580
00:47:10,940 --> 00:47:14,019


581
00:49:34,860 --> 00:49:38,859


582
00:54:27,240 --> 00:54:32,139
into companies
of about 250 men each.

583
00:54:33,700 --> 00:54:39,699
And they are going to build
for him 70 towers in that year.

584
00:54:41,340 --> 00:54:46,339
That means that each company has to
build one tower every five days.

585
00:54:46,500 --> 00:54:50,339
These men have got to work
day and night

586
00:54:50,540 --> 00:54:54,039
without stopping
for the entire year.

587
00:54:54,900 --> 00:54:58,999
But Qi had the great advantage
of using the troops that he had

588
00:54:59,540 --> 00:55:03,539
disciplined, trained himself,
and brought them up.

589
00:55:04,040 --> 00:55:08,139
And he could rely
on their competitiveness

590
00:55:08,260 --> 00:55:12,259
to build the wall within the time
limit that the court had given him.

591
00:55:16,540 --> 00:55:19,019
The Great Wall project
is more ambitious

592
00:55:19,120 --> 00:55:23,019
than anything the Ming Empire
has ever undertaken.

593
00:55:27,020 --> 00:55:31,099
By the late 1570s, it is consuming
more than three quarters

594
00:55:31,100 --> 00:55:34,099
of the government's income.

595
00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:43,799
But there is another cost that
doesn't appear in the accounts -

596
00:55:43,940 --> 00:55:47,099
the human cost.

597
00:55:47,700 --> 00:55:51,139
They were, you know, far from
their families, they were just

598
00:55:51,140 --> 00:55:53,019
working together as an entire unit.

599
00:55:53,220 --> 00:55:57,059
It must have been extremely hard,
extremely difficult.

600
00:55:57,060 --> 00:56:01,059
Very, very heavy work
and exhausting beyond speech.

601
00:56:03,040 --> 00:56:06,059
The pressure is on Qi to deliver.

602
00:56:06,060 --> 00:56:09,339
And the one force he knows he can
keep driving as hard as he needs

603
00:56:09,340 --> 00:56:13,339
is his own army.

604
00:56:21,460 --> 00:56:25,079
But there are limits.

605
00:56:25,480 --> 00:56:29,779
Malnutrition, exhaustion and
disease take their inevitable toll.

606
00:56:32,580 --> 00:56:36,579
And for those who die far from home,
fellow workers become family...

607
00:56:40,260 --> 00:56:44,259
..scattering token money
to pay for a friend's passage
to the next world...

608
00:56:48,260 --> 00:56:52,059
..to rest at last.

609
00:56:57,380 --> 00:57:00,239
"We buried Fong today.

610
00:57:00,540 --> 00:57:02,739
"He was from the south,

611
00:57:02,940 --> 00:57:06,739
"like me.

612
00:57:13,220 --> 00:57:16,459
"He had a family...

613
00:57:16,660 --> 00:57:20,459
"..somewhere.

614
00:57:20,780 --> 00:57:23,259
"My love,

615
00:57:23,260 --> 00:57:27,259
"we're so hungry and
exhausted all the time.

616
00:57:28,220 --> 00:57:32,219
"I sometimes think
death would be a relief.

617
00:57:34,700 --> 00:57:38,699
"But that would be a betrayal of you.

618
00:57:40,300 --> 00:57:45,099
"So I carry on for your sake.

619
00:57:46,040 --> 00:57:48,499
"I've heard they'll make us
stay and serve

620
00:57:48,700 --> 00:57:51,059
"on the wall when it is finished,

621
00:57:51,260 --> 00:57:54,779
"so even if I survive
building the damn thing,

622
00:57:54,980 --> 00:57:58,779
"I may have to stay and defend it."

623
00:58:06,060 --> 00:58:09,019
For centuries,
workers like Geng Zhou have been

624
00:58:09,020 --> 00:58:13,019
the forgotten heroes of the wall.

625
00:58:14,980 --> 00:58:18,979
Who they were and where they came
from has rarely been recorded.

626
00:58:22,620 --> 00:58:27,499
Histories of these men have
been almost totally unknown -

627
00:58:27,500 --> 00:58:31,499
until now.

628
00:58:39,300 --> 00:58:43,699
Wang Tao is an archaeologist
from London University,

629
00:58:43,700 --> 00:58:47,699
used to digging in the ground
for evidence of the past.

630
00:58:48,940 --> 00:58:52,939
In the Great Wall,
he faces a challenge.

631
00:58:56,480 --> 00:59:00,459
The most revealing insights are
found not so much in the bricks

632
00:59:00,460 --> 00:59:03,499
as in the descendants of
the people who laid them.

633
00:59:03,500 --> 00:59:07,499
And that is what
he has come to find.

634
00:59:09,020 --> 00:59:13,139
Outside a village to the east
of Beijing called Dongjiakou,

635
00:59:13,340 --> 00:59:17,339
he takes a tour with local
historian, Zhang Heshan.

636
00:59:26,060 --> 00:59:29,739
Zhang takes Tao on a climb
1,000 metres up

637
00:59:29,740 --> 00:59:33,739
and 500 years back to the heart
of the wall-building project.

638
00:59:34,900 --> 00:59:38,899
The past here lives because of
the efforts of men like Zhang.

639
00:59:40,080 --> 00:59:44,099
40 years ago, he discovered
the building records of each tower

640
00:59:44,300 --> 00:59:48,299
carved on stone stele inside.

641
00:59:49,260 --> 00:59:53,659
The stones themselves were removed
during the Cultural Revolution.

642
00:59:53,900 --> 00:59:55,899
But not before
Zhang had made copies.

643
00:59:55,900 --> 00:59:59,899
(SPEAKING CHINESE)

644
01:00:01,780 --> 01:00:07,779
The most important stone stele
was placed in one of these, uh,

645
01:00:07,980 --> 01:00:09,539
towers just over there.

646
01:00:09,740 --> 01:00:13,939
And the names of all the important
officials who are involved in this

647
01:00:14,780 --> 01:00:18,979
construction are recorded here,
including General Qi Jiguang.

648
01:00:19,780 --> 01:00:24,779
And on the back, there are all
the names of the ordinary workers -

649
01:00:25,660 --> 01:00:30,659
builders, carpenters,
all related to the re-construction.

650
01:00:31,020 --> 01:00:35,139
And their descendents may actually
live in the local village,

651
01:00:35,140 --> 01:00:39,039
become a part of the local history.

652
01:00:43,620 --> 01:00:46,259
The end of the climb is
what Zhang is most proud of

653
01:00:46,260 --> 01:00:50,059
and what makes this section
of wall unique.

654
01:00:50,780 --> 01:00:53,019
Every single tower
in the district is named

655
01:00:53,020 --> 01:00:57,019
after a family in the village.

656
01:01:01,620 --> 01:01:05,619
(SPEAKING CHINESE)

657
01:01:06,080 --> 01:01:10,579
Mr Zhang is saying this is called
the Zhang family tower,

658
01:01:10,700 --> 01:01:14,699
and it's constructed by
General Qi Jiguang.

659
01:01:15,220 --> 01:01:18,099
(SPEAKING CHINESE)

660
01:01:18,100 --> 01:01:22,099
He recruited about 9,000 soldiers
from the south,

661
01:01:22,220 --> 01:01:25,219
from Zhejiang, Yiwu.

662
01:01:25,220 --> 01:01:27,299
And Mr Zhang's ancestor

663
01:01:27,300 --> 01:01:30,259
was among those 9,000 soldiers.

664
01:01:30,460 --> 01:01:34,459
This is why this one is called
the Zhang family tower.

665
01:01:34,780 --> 01:01:38,779
(SPEAKING CHINESE)

666
01:01:45,340 --> 01:01:48,739
The actual lives of the soldiers
can only now be reached through

667
01:01:48,940 --> 01:01:52,439
the folk-memory of the villagers.

668
01:01:53,380 --> 01:01:57,379
And because every village name has
a tower and a history to go with it,

669
01:01:57,660 --> 01:02:01,659
Zhang has started recording the
oral history of the entire village,

670
01:02:01,820 --> 01:02:05,259
one family at a time.

671
01:02:05,660 --> 01:02:09,059
Starting with Mr Loa Jianhua.

672
01:02:09,060 --> 01:02:12,539
What's interesting is that Mr Loa's

673
01:02:12,540 --> 01:02:15,739
great great grandfather's
tomb is still there,

674
01:02:15,740 --> 01:02:18,339
very close to the wall.

675
01:02:18,340 --> 01:02:21,699
And that can go back
to the Ming Dynasty.

676
01:02:21,900 --> 01:02:25,799
They have about almost
over 20 generations

677
01:02:25,940 --> 01:02:27,639
all lived in this village.

678
01:02:27,740 --> 01:02:31,739
And they've all come here, they
were southerners and they actually,

679
01:02:32,740 --> 01:02:36,739
they didn't mix up with
the northerners, the locals.

680
01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:42,299
And a story they were talking about
was that one year,

681
01:02:42,300 --> 01:02:45,739
there was a famine and no food,

682
01:02:45,940 --> 01:02:50,939
and all the locals were coming to
the wall to the Zhang family tower

683
01:02:51,540 --> 01:02:53,219
and the Loa family tower.

684
01:02:53,320 --> 01:02:54,939
They were all kind of fighting over,

685
01:02:54,940 --> 01:02:58,939
basically it's fighting over
very little food to survive.

686
01:03:01,300 --> 01:03:05,499
And I can probably imagine
that many people probably would die.

687
01:03:12,080 --> 01:03:14,739
For any monumental project,

688
01:03:14,740 --> 01:03:18,619
team discipline is vital.

689
01:03:18,620 --> 01:03:22,619
And when it breaks down,
for whatever reason,

690
01:03:24,460 --> 01:03:28,159
it must be seen to be restored.

691
01:03:33,060 --> 01:03:37,059
Examples, however painful,
must be set...

692
01:03:37,100 --> 01:03:41,099
Faster!

693
01:03:43,500 --> 01:03:45,299
..for the good of the wall.

694
01:03:45,300 --> 01:03:48,819
Get them on their knees!

695
01:03:48,820 --> 01:03:51,539
Heads down!

696
01:03:51,540 --> 01:03:55,539
Draw your swords!

697
01:04:02,080 --> 01:04:06,779
What's going on here?
Why have you stopped working?

698
01:04:08,220 --> 01:04:12,079
Put down your swords!

699
01:04:12,180 --> 01:04:13,979
Sir.

700
01:04:13,980 --> 01:04:17,699
There was a fight. We're making
an example of the ringleaders.

701
01:04:17,700 --> 01:04:20,379
But don't worry, sir.
We'll make up the lost time.

702
01:04:20,380 --> 01:04:24,379
That depends on how many times
you have to do this, doesn't it?

703
01:04:25,660 --> 01:04:29,659
Haven't you enough to do,
without fighting?

704
01:04:29,980 --> 01:04:33,379
You!

705
01:04:33,380 --> 01:04:34,979
What's your excuse?

706
01:04:34,980 --> 01:04:38,019
We haven't got enough
food to go around.

707
01:04:38,220 --> 01:04:42,219
We are worked to death
and treated like slaves!

708
01:04:42,380 --> 01:04:45,939
Is that what we are?

709
01:04:45,940 --> 01:04:49,059
No.

710
01:04:49,060 --> 01:04:52,019
You are my soldiers, paid workers.

711
01:04:52,020 --> 01:04:55,939
All of you!

712
01:04:55,940 --> 01:04:57,859
We only get half what we're owed

713
01:04:57,860 --> 01:05:00,539
and what's the point of money
when you're dead?

714
01:05:00,540 --> 01:05:04,039
You are working to
protect the Empire!

715
01:05:04,400 --> 01:05:06,459
Yes, there are hardships.

716
01:05:06,460 --> 01:05:09,099
But as a soldier,

717
01:05:09,100 --> 01:05:12,819
I am prepared to sacrifice myself,

718
01:05:12,820 --> 01:05:14,459
my life,

719
01:05:14,460 --> 01:05:18,459
to protect my home and my people!

720
01:05:19,380 --> 01:05:21,339
Those of you who have
fought with me,

721
01:05:21,340 --> 01:05:23,619
you know that!

722
01:05:23,620 --> 01:05:25,739
You know what it means...

723
01:05:25,740 --> 01:05:29,739
There is not a man here
who would not die to protect
our families and our homes!

724
01:05:30,020 --> 01:05:34,019
But they are a thousand miles away.

725
01:05:35,020 --> 01:05:39,019
All we see is bricks and stones.

726
01:05:39,980 --> 01:05:43,219
This is not a battlefield.

727
01:05:43,220 --> 01:05:46,019
It is not even our home!

728
01:05:46,020 --> 01:05:50,019
This is just one long headstone
for a million graves!

729
01:05:54,060 --> 01:05:56,619
On his knees!

730
01:05:56,820 --> 01:05:58,979
Bring out your swords!

731
01:05:58,980 --> 01:06:01,459
Sir, on your command.

732
01:06:15,780 --> 01:06:20,779
'The wall will not build itself.'

733
01:06:33,060 --> 01:06:37,059
'And it will not defend
itself either.'

734
01:06:50,360 --> 01:06:54,459
Send them back to work.

735
01:06:54,860 --> 01:06:56,619
And get them some food
from somewhere.

736
01:06:56,820 --> 01:07:00,819
I don't care where. Ya!

737
01:07:02,700 --> 01:07:06,699
Put down your swords!

738
01:07:08,020 --> 01:07:12,019
Set them free.

739
01:07:13,460 --> 01:07:17,959
Qi's new design was,
in a way, revolutionary.

740
01:07:18,300 --> 01:07:22,899
It used a new structural form.

741
01:07:23,100 --> 01:07:27,099
But Qi realised that without the men

742
01:07:27,460 --> 01:07:33,459
to build it, and to exploit its
potential, it was absolutely nothing.

743
01:07:38,180 --> 01:07:42,179
Qi issues orders for soldiers'
families to be allowed to join them

744
01:07:42,340 --> 01:07:46,039
and settle along the length
of the Great Wall.

745
01:07:51,400 --> 01:07:55,699
Having once turned farmers into
soldiers, he returns those soldiers

746
01:07:55,740 --> 01:07:59,939
to the land to live,
build and fight for their homes.

747
01:08:05,080 --> 01:08:09,179
The fact the men like Mr Loa
are here shows the policy worked.

748
01:08:10,220 --> 01:08:12,539
But as Wang Tao discovers,
its success

749
01:08:12,540 --> 01:08:16,538
owed much to the resilience
and fortitude of the men themselves.

750
01:08:20,979 --> 01:08:23,019
At Dongjiakou,
starvation had threatened

751
01:08:23,220 --> 01:08:28,019
the lives of the soldiers,
and the future of the project,

752
01:08:28,220 --> 01:08:31,499
until Mr Loa's ancestor
saw a solution.

753
01:08:31,500 --> 01:08:35,499
(SPEAKING CHINESE)

754
01:08:36,460 --> 01:08:41,459
When his ancestor first arrived here,
there was a food shortage

755
01:08:42,060 --> 01:08:46,259
and people were fighting over
a very little bit of food.

756
01:08:46,420 --> 01:08:50,419
And then they discovered
the apricot trees.

757
01:08:51,420 --> 01:08:56,419
Mr Loa's ancestor and other soldiers
began to gather the wild apricots

758
01:08:58,420 --> 01:09:02,198
for food, and later on,
they decided they would plant them

759
01:09:02,300 --> 01:09:05,859
so they gathered loads of them and
they planted them all along the wall.

760
01:09:05,859 --> 01:09:07,419
And so as you can see now,

761
01:09:07,620 --> 01:09:11,618
the whole landscape and the whole
mountain is full of apricot trees.

762
01:09:12,399 --> 01:09:16,299
And for Mr Lao's ancestor,
the gesture he inspired not only

763
01:09:16,500 --> 01:09:20,219
averted starvation,
but ensured the Loa family

764
01:09:20,420 --> 01:09:24,419
would be here for centuries to come.

765
01:09:24,460 --> 01:09:28,459
The grave of Loa's ancestor lies
directly beneath the family tower...

766
01:09:30,859 --> 01:09:34,859
..its inscription barely visible
after 500 years.

767
01:09:36,020 --> 01:09:40,419
But for Wang Tao, it's a chance to
connect with an actual wall builder.

768
01:09:41,779 --> 01:09:46,779
This is extraordinary, it's
Mr Loa's family or ancestral tomb.

769
01:09:47,300 --> 01:09:51,299
And the title here,
it actually says,

770
01:09:51,340 --> 01:09:57,339
"the important or highly important
ancestor, Lord Loa was buried here".

771
01:09:59,500 --> 01:10:03,799
And obviously Mr Loa, his ancestor,

772
01:10:04,180 --> 01:10:07,059
was the garrison commander
of this tower.

773
01:10:07,060 --> 01:10:10,459
That's why it's called
the Loa family tower.

774
01:10:10,460 --> 01:10:16,459
This is a family, personal story,
which I have never known, and now,

775
01:10:16,820 --> 01:10:20,819
standing together with Mr Loa,
the descendent of the soldier Loa,

776
01:10:21,020 --> 01:10:23,339
close to the Loa family tower,

777
01:10:23,340 --> 01:10:27,939
I think it's just bring me
really back to the whole history

778
01:10:28,460 --> 01:10:32,099
and also the people who
kind of, as part of the wall...

779
01:10:32,300 --> 01:10:33,939
And I feel a kind of...

780
01:10:33,940 --> 01:10:37,939
I'm becoming part of this as well.

781
01:10:39,420 --> 01:10:43,419
Today, the entire Loa family comes
to honour their illustrious ancestor

782
01:10:43,740 --> 01:10:47,439
with offerings for his spirit...

783
01:10:57,140 --> 01:11:01,139
..and to plant, in his memory,
a single apricot tree.

784
01:11:04,700 --> 01:11:08,699
A memorial to one soldier
who helped build the Great Wall.

785
01:11:24,040 --> 01:11:28,739
By 1575, the first sections of
Qi Jiguang's wall are complete.

786
01:11:31,540 --> 01:11:36,539
Hs dream is becoming a solid
and impregnable reality.

787
01:11:50,000 --> 01:11:54,299
On it stands an army he has
trained to exploit its strength...

788
01:11:55,400 --> 01:11:59,499
..an army now 20,000-strong...

789
01:12:00,080 --> 01:12:04,979
..devoted to him.

790
01:12:15,020 --> 01:12:19,019
The young soldier who once
dreamed of serving the Empire

791
01:12:20,040 --> 01:12:24,139
has now created its ultimate
defence system.

792
01:12:29,700 --> 01:12:32,579
Not only is it the most ambitious,

793
01:12:32,780 --> 01:12:36,579
it is also the most expensive
project of the age.

794
01:12:38,940 --> 01:12:42,939
And with the hopes of an entire
dynasty riding on its success,

795
01:12:44,060 --> 01:12:47,059
it had better work.

796
01:12:56,360 --> 01:12:58,719
By the mid 1570s,

797
01:12:58,720 --> 01:13:02,719
the Great Wall is advancing at a
rate of a new tower every five days.

798
01:13:08,240 --> 01:13:11,199
Yet Qi Jiguang knows it will be
tested by Mongol attack

799
01:13:11,400 --> 01:13:15,199
long before it is complete.

800
01:13:17,500 --> 01:13:21,199
In the Beijing archives
is a remarkable set of maps,

801
01:13:21,480 --> 01:13:25,479
showing how Qi's Great Wall
defences were designed to work.

802
01:13:30,320 --> 01:13:34,919
Out to the far northwest,
you see a pass

803
01:13:35,360 --> 01:13:37,759
between two mountains

804
01:13:37,760 --> 01:13:41,959
through which the Mongols
would normally trade or raid.

805
01:13:44,040 --> 01:13:48,439
Then you have a series of
outward observation points.

806
01:13:49,900 --> 01:13:54,599
Then you have a series of
beacon towers, signal towers,

807
01:13:55,440 --> 01:13:58,279
and they're on the top of a
range of hills.

808
01:13:58,280 --> 01:14:02,279
Then you have the Great Wall
with all the forts.

809
01:14:04,920 --> 01:14:06,639
Then, behind that,

810
01:14:06,640 --> 01:14:13,639
are the headquarters of the various
brigades of Qi's soldiers.

811
01:14:15,280 --> 01:14:19,119
If there was an attack, they
would march out to the Great Wall

812
01:14:19,120 --> 01:14:23,019
to defend it, or even go further.

813
01:14:28,960 --> 01:14:34,959
So what Qi was able to develop
was a very complex system.

814
01:14:35,200 --> 01:14:39,199
The wall functioned
in different ways.

815
01:14:40,600 --> 01:14:44,599
And the men had to
have an understanding

816
01:14:44,920 --> 01:14:48,419
of their function
in the total system.

817
01:14:49,960 --> 01:14:53,959
Guangzhou is now part of Qi's
defence line

818
01:14:54,280 --> 01:14:58,279
in an observation unit
in front of the wall.

819
01:15:00,160 --> 01:15:03,919
One of Qi's greatest innovations
is to introduce cannons,

820
01:15:03,920 --> 01:15:07,759
copied from Western models
and now manufactured in China,

821
01:15:07,760 --> 01:15:10,879
an integral part of wall defence.

822
01:15:10,980 --> 01:15:14,879
The unit's job is to
intercept and slow any attack

823
01:15:15,360 --> 01:15:19,359
while at the same time
alerting the wall defences.

824
01:15:20,520 --> 01:15:24,519
No-one knows how well
this new system will work.

825
01:15:26,280 --> 01:15:30,279
But on this March day in 1575,

826
01:15:30,320 --> 01:15:36,319
the perfect opportunity to find out
materialises from out of the steppe.

827
01:15:51,940 --> 01:15:54,079
They're coming!

828
01:15:54,080 --> 01:15:58,079
Get yourselves organised!

829
01:16:07,740 --> 01:16:11,939
While Mongol raiders
charge towards the outer defences,

830
01:16:12,440 --> 01:16:17,439
on the wall, the alarm signal
triggers a well-rehearsed response.

831
01:16:24,060 --> 01:16:28,359
Men and cannons are
mobilised in minutes.

832
01:16:40,520 --> 01:16:44,019
Fire now!

833
01:17:00,720 --> 01:17:04,719
The job of advanced units
is to try to slow the attack.

834
01:17:07,520 --> 01:17:11,279
But the Mongols keep their eyes
on a bigger prize -

835
01:17:11,280 --> 01:17:15,279
settlements around the
town of Dongjiakou...

836
01:17:16,840 --> 01:17:20,359
..where Qi Jiguang himself
happens to be stationed.

837
01:17:20,960 --> 01:17:24,959
Inside the wall, the warning system
has alerted the main garrison,

838
01:17:25,240 --> 01:17:27,679
and a counter force is mobilised.

839
01:17:27,980 --> 01:17:31,679
This is the moment of truth,
for Qi and the wall.

840
01:17:44,980 --> 01:17:48,479
Whether the attacking force
might try to scale the wall

841
01:17:48,480 --> 01:17:51,039
or break through
the unfinished sections,

842
01:17:51,740 --> 01:17:55,039
no-one will ever know.

843
01:17:59,440 --> 01:18:02,119
The historical records
recount that Qi's force

844
01:18:02,120 --> 01:18:06,119
was able to meet the invaders
beyond the wall...

845
01:18:06,960 --> 01:18:10,959
..where his superior forces
could be made to count.

846
01:18:49,060 --> 01:18:53,359
The history also recounts
Mongol prisoners are taken,

847
01:18:53,400 --> 01:18:57,399
including the brother of
Mongol leader, Chang Ang.

848
01:19:17,960 --> 01:19:20,799
The battle of Dongjiakou is won

849
01:19:20,900 --> 01:19:24,719
and it is a defining moment
for Qi Jiguang.

850
01:19:24,720 --> 01:19:28,639
He has proved that his Great Wall
system works,

851
01:19:28,640 --> 01:19:32,639
with him at its head,
inspiring the victory.

852
01:19:42,480 --> 01:19:46,239
At court, those who have
criticised his project are silenced,

853
01:19:46,440 --> 01:19:49,519
at least for now,

854
01:19:49,720 --> 01:19:53,519
and the wall is declared a success.

855
01:19:57,640 --> 01:20:02,639
For his personal heroics, Qi is
rewarded with two kilos of silver

856
01:20:03,040 --> 01:20:07,039
and the personal gratitude
of the Emperor.

857
01:20:07,200 --> 01:20:11,199
It's an encouraging start...

858
01:20:13,520 --> 01:20:17,519
..but Qi Jiguang
is looking to the future.

859
01:20:20,960 --> 01:20:23,839
When his wall is finally complete,

860
01:20:23,840 --> 01:20:27,839
he will be the
gate-keeper of the north...

861
01:20:30,320 --> 01:20:34,319
..and potentially more than
just another general.

862
01:20:39,640 --> 01:20:41,479
A few days after the battle,

863
01:20:41,480 --> 01:20:45,119
a chance to play the role of
statesman appears,

864
01:20:45,120 --> 01:20:48,679
in the shape of
Mongol leader Chang Ang,

865
01:20:48,680 --> 01:20:52,679
returning to the wall to bargain
for the release of his brother.

866
01:20:54,200 --> 01:20:57,459
Is he still alive?

867
01:20:57,960 --> 01:21:01,459
Yes.

868
01:21:21,680 --> 01:21:25,679
If I were to make an offering
to secure my brother,

869
01:21:25,960 --> 01:21:28,239
who is the man I must make it to?

870
01:21:28,540 --> 01:21:31,039
Is it the Emperor,

871
01:21:31,040 --> 01:21:34,359
through you?

872
01:21:34,360 --> 01:21:38,059
Or is it you?

873
01:21:38,360 --> 01:21:42,059
It's me.

874
01:21:43,600 --> 01:21:46,759
So what does it cost
to get my brother back?

875
01:21:46,760 --> 01:21:50,039
Your brother can go free

876
01:21:50,040 --> 01:21:54,039
if we can be free of you.

877
01:21:54,040 --> 01:21:58,039
If you can guarantee that we will
no longer have to pursue you

878
01:21:58,440 --> 01:22:00,799
and run you down,

879
01:22:00,800 --> 01:22:04,799
then yes, you can have him.

880
01:22:28,840 --> 01:22:32,539
Despite their agreement, the
same tribe will renege on its deal

881
01:22:32,760 --> 01:22:38,759
and attack again. But again
the wall will defeat them.

882
01:22:44,780 --> 01:22:46,159
Unbreakable,

883
01:22:46,160 --> 01:22:50,159
its brooding power sends
a clear and unmistakable message

884
01:22:51,200 --> 01:22:55,199
that the Ming empire
can and will defend itself.

885
01:23:05,760 --> 01:23:09,759
And over time, the growing security
brings something new to the border.

886
01:23:13,400 --> 01:23:17,399
The first signs of peace.

887
01:23:20,960 --> 01:23:24,759
On some of the towers in Dongjiakou,
there are the unmistakable marks

888
01:23:24,840 --> 01:23:28,319
of domesticity...

889
01:23:28,320 --> 01:23:32,039
..clear evidence that some soldiers
had the time and inclination

890
01:23:32,040 --> 01:23:35,439
to decorate their homes.

891
01:23:35,640 --> 01:23:40,639
Perhaps, as Wang Tao believes,
under the influence of their wives.

892
01:23:41,080 --> 01:23:45,079
Before I came here, I thought these
towers were just military towers.

893
01:23:45,960 --> 01:23:50,459
When I came here and visited
these towers, I feel it's home.

894
01:23:50,800 --> 01:23:53,839
Of course, it has its function
as a military device,

895
01:23:53,840 --> 01:23:58,839
but if you look, both sides of the
wall, you actually see, no, it's not.

896
01:23:59,160 --> 01:24:03,859
It's actually very much a part of
people's life and home life.

897
01:24:04,040 --> 01:24:08,039
Because when you look down the cliff,
you're looking out on fields,

898
01:24:08,320 --> 01:24:10,079
and you see a wife with young kids,

899
01:24:10,080 --> 01:24:15,079
and then we can see, in Chinese
history, it happens all the time,

900
01:24:15,160 --> 01:24:18,519
people being uprooted, re-rooted,

901
01:24:18,720 --> 01:24:22,199
and I think the Great Wall
has re-rooted so many people

902
01:24:22,400 --> 01:24:26,199
and has created
a new life for so many people.

903
01:24:44,880 --> 01:24:47,959
Geng Zhou is now a senior member
of Qi's garrison

904
01:24:47,960 --> 01:24:51,679
and has settled his family
in the village below the wall,

905
01:24:51,680 --> 01:24:55,679
now part of a new and growing
frontier population.

906
01:25:05,960 --> 01:25:09,959
In what was once only
a conflict zone, inhabited
by raiders and soldiers,

907
01:25:10,120 --> 01:25:14,119
agriculture thrives
and the population grows.

908
01:25:14,880 --> 01:25:18,879
The peace dividend
of the Great Wall.

909
01:25:24,280 --> 01:25:26,759
It gives Qi the confidence
to demand the funds

910
01:25:26,760 --> 01:25:30,759
to finish his great project.

911
01:25:33,940 --> 01:25:39,839
So far, only 1,200 of his planned
3,000 towers have been built.

912
01:25:41,980 --> 01:25:45,519
The wall will only continue
to work, he warns the court,

913
01:25:45,720 --> 01:25:49,519
if he is allowed to complete it.

914
01:25:50,680 --> 01:25:54,979
However, in Beijing, the cost
is already ringing alarm bells.

915
01:25:56,880 --> 01:26:00,879
So far, 1,200 towers
and 1,000 kilometres of wall

916
01:26:01,480 --> 01:26:04,999
have consumed 550 tonnes of silver,

917
01:26:05,000 --> 01:26:08,999
two-and-a-half times the treasury's
income for the last decade.

918
01:26:10,360 --> 01:26:14,959
For many, it is proof that Qi's
project was always over ambitious.

919
01:26:17,420 --> 01:26:21,919
Basically, Qi had,
in a sense, solved the problem.

920
01:26:21,960 --> 01:26:24,239
But still, when it's successful

921
01:26:24,240 --> 01:26:28,039
and you can keep the peace for
15 years, then people start to say,

922
01:26:28,140 --> 01:26:32,439
"Well, why are we wasting
so much time, money and effort

923
01:26:32,720 --> 01:26:35,639
"against what is
essentially a nuisance?"

924
01:26:35,840 --> 01:26:39,639
Maybe just a few raids by Mongols.

925
01:26:40,040 --> 01:26:44,039
Well, that was not going
to be too problematic.

926
01:26:45,200 --> 01:26:50,199
Oblivious to the court's concerns,
Qi looks ahead to the next phase.

927
01:26:52,000 --> 01:26:55,559
He turns once more to the man
who has always supported him,

928
01:26:55,560 --> 01:26:59,399
who has always pulled the strings
in court to provide him with funds -

929
01:26:59,600 --> 01:27:03,399
grand secretary Zhang Juzheng.

930
01:27:03,680 --> 01:27:07,679
But the more Qi demands from Zhang
and the more Zhang tries to give him,

931
01:27:07,840 --> 01:27:11,839
the more their power is
seen by the court as a threat.

932
01:27:15,520 --> 01:27:20,519
Qi and Zhang Juzheng
had their enemies at court.

933
01:27:20,840 --> 01:27:24,839
They were just simply waiting,
biding their time.

934
01:27:25,760 --> 01:27:29,239
And at last that time has come.

935
01:27:29,240 --> 01:27:31,359
There is a new emperor on the throne

936
01:27:31,360 --> 01:27:34,359
who listens to
these new councillors.

937
01:27:34,360 --> 01:27:39,359
The great danger, as was always the
danger throughout Chinese history,

938
01:27:40,080 --> 01:27:46,079
was if a powerful courtier linked
with an equally powerful general.

939
01:27:47,360 --> 01:27:51,359
In Chinese, that was the military
and the civil getting together.

940
01:27:51,440 --> 01:27:56,439
This is what always
brought down a dynasty.

941
01:28:00,200 --> 01:28:04,199
Looking for ammunition to
destroy the Qi - Zhang alliance,

942
01:28:04,800 --> 01:28:09,899
their enemies find it,
in the Great Wall financial records.

943
01:28:13,800 --> 01:28:15,159
Great secretary.

944
01:28:15,160 --> 01:28:18,919
I hope you're not going to
ask for more money.

945
01:28:18,920 --> 01:28:21,119
I can't help you.

946
01:28:21,520 --> 01:28:25,119
Do you know what
they're saying about me?

947
01:28:25,880 --> 01:28:29,879
"Grand secretary Zhang
has cheated the imperial person.

948
01:28:30,460 --> 01:28:32,999
"He has plagued the population
with taxes,

949
01:28:33,000 --> 01:28:39,999
"accepted bribes, sold government
offices and advanced his henchmen!"

950
01:28:40,640 --> 01:28:41,819
That's you, by the way.

951
01:28:41,920 --> 01:28:44,079
What did they say about me?

952
01:28:44,080 --> 01:28:48,779
I said, "Majesty, those henchmen
preserve the Empire

953
01:28:48,960 --> 01:28:52,759
"and your imperial person
in continued safety."

954
01:28:53,460 --> 01:28:56,959
What do they want?
They demanded protection.

955
01:28:56,960 --> 01:28:59,199
Well, protection costs.

956
01:28:59,200 --> 01:29:03,099
You only know it's worth paying for
when it doesn't work. Tell them that.

957
01:29:03,240 --> 01:29:05,279
Tell them we need more towers.

958
01:29:05,280 --> 01:29:08,039
Don't even think it.

959
01:29:08,640 --> 01:29:11,799
There is an indictment for me
for charges of corruption.

960
01:29:11,800 --> 01:29:14,479
Did you know that?

961
01:29:14,880 --> 01:29:18,979
All it needs is for the emperor
to sign it into proclamation.

962
01:29:25,980 --> 01:29:29,079
And what am I supposed to do?

963
01:29:33,080 --> 01:29:36,619
If I were you...

964
01:29:36,720 --> 01:29:40,719
..I'd stay away from me.

965
01:29:48,200 --> 01:29:52,199
As the emperor's former tutor,
Zhang is spared prosecution...

966
01:29:52,520 --> 01:29:54,999
for the time being.

967
01:29:55,000 --> 01:29:58,999
But for the next few years,
Qi's ally remains under attack

968
01:29:59,800 --> 01:30:04,799
until, worn down by the ceaseless
strain, Zhang Juzheng dies.

969
01:30:08,880 --> 01:30:12,879
The partnership that
built the wall is broken.

970
01:30:13,480 --> 01:30:18,479
Now with his only political ally
gone, Qi himself is open to attack.

971
01:30:20,440 --> 01:30:23,639
And the most effective weapon
at his enemy's disposal

972
01:30:23,640 --> 01:30:27,639
is his alliance with Zhang.

973
01:30:30,480 --> 01:30:32,639
A provincial examiner
in Zhang's employ

974
01:30:32,640 --> 01:30:37,639
confessed that Zhang
had placed before candidates
to imperial office...

975
01:30:38,680 --> 01:30:41,239
In court,
Zhang's crimes are re-examined

976
01:30:41,440 --> 01:30:44,799
and a conspiracy with Qi
is discovered.

977
01:30:44,800 --> 01:30:48,999
A clear attempt
to create a suitable atmosphere

978
01:30:49,200 --> 01:30:53,199
for an impending takeover.

979
01:30:54,200 --> 01:30:57,119
Furthermore, and I quote...

980
01:30:57,120 --> 01:31:02,119
"General Qi Jiguang
is to make his army available."

981
01:31:03,960 --> 01:31:07,959
We can only surmise what for.

982
01:31:08,040 --> 01:31:12,239
That before his death,
Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng

983
01:31:12,560 --> 01:31:16,959
had plotted to take over the throne.

984
01:31:19,840 --> 01:31:23,939
I find it hard to believe
that my old tutor

985
01:31:24,360 --> 01:31:28,359
had the intention of usurping me
from my throne.

986
01:31:30,600 --> 01:31:38,399
Yet it is clear that he and
commander-in-chief Qi Jiguang

987
01:31:38,680 --> 01:31:42,679
have had the capacity to do so.

988
01:31:45,440 --> 01:31:49,439
This is too ominous to be ignored.

989
01:31:50,080 --> 01:31:53,879
I mourn the loss of
Grand Secretary Zhang

990
01:31:53,880 --> 01:31:57,759
and can only assume that
he has been blinded in his old age

991
01:31:57,960 --> 01:32:01,759
by the overwhelming ambition
of Qi Jiguang.

992
01:32:01,880 --> 01:32:06,879
He has violated the divine principle
of balance.

993
01:32:09,120 --> 01:32:13,719
We have had
enough of Qi's demands.

994
01:32:15,200 --> 01:32:19,199
We have had enough of walls.

995
01:32:24,920 --> 01:32:27,719
Stand by!

996
01:32:28,420 --> 01:32:29,719
One!

997
01:32:29,720 --> 01:32:31,119
Two!

998
01:32:31,120 --> 01:32:32,879
For years after Zhang's fall,

999
01:32:32,880 --> 01:32:36,879
life on the wall has gone on as
normal for soldiers like Geng Zhou.

1000
01:32:36,920 --> 01:32:40,919
Yet Qi's political enemies
in Beijing have not been idle,

1001
01:32:41,920 --> 01:32:44,919
and now they are now
ready to make their move.

1002
01:32:46,520 --> 01:32:49,479
Qi has years of correspondence
from Zhang

1003
01:32:49,480 --> 01:32:52,759
in which he promises Qi
his personal support

1004
01:32:52,760 --> 01:32:56,759
and hints at deals
done behind the scenes.

1005
01:32:58,000 --> 01:33:02,999
Words that in the wrong hands could
be twisted to look like conspiracy.

1006
01:33:06,400 --> 01:33:10,399
So Qi puts them beyond reach.

1007
01:33:12,200 --> 01:33:14,679
And a lifetime of friendship

1008
01:33:14,680 --> 01:33:18,979
and the record of their
wall-building partnership is erased.

1009
01:33:29,480 --> 01:33:32,239
It was Qi's ambition that drove him
to build the wall

1010
01:33:32,240 --> 01:33:35,239
for the sake of the empire.

1011
01:33:36,760 --> 01:33:39,199
Today is your first position.

1012
01:33:39,200 --> 01:33:43,799
Now the Empire fears
that ambition so much
it is ready to get rid of him.

1013
01:33:43,880 --> 01:33:45,399
Go.

1014
01:33:45,400 --> 01:33:49,999
The only question that remains
is how they will do it.

1015
01:34:12,880 --> 01:34:16,979
If a case of treason can
be made against Qi, he will be
summoned for trial

1016
01:34:17,960 --> 01:34:21,959
and public disgrace will
be followed by private execution.

1017
01:34:24,480 --> 01:34:28,479
But Qi is ready
to defend his record.

1018
01:34:53,040 --> 01:34:59,439
Regional Commander Qi Jiguang is
to step down with immediate effect.

1019
01:35:03,160 --> 01:35:07,159
He has underestimated them.

1020
01:35:07,680 --> 01:35:11,679
There will be no trial, no chance
in court to speak the truth.

1021
01:35:13,280 --> 01:35:17,279
Just quietly sacked.

1022
01:35:42,320 --> 01:35:43,799
(SHOUTS)

1023
01:35:45,800 --> 01:35:47,719
For common soldiers like Geng Zhou,

1024
01:35:47,720 --> 01:35:51,719
the end of Qi defies all reason.

1025
01:35:55,360 --> 01:35:59,059
The army is losing its father.

1026
01:36:05,800 --> 01:36:08,039
General...?

1027
01:36:08,240 --> 01:36:12,039
'He doesn't remember me.

1028
01:36:12,720 --> 01:36:16,419
'The great captain is gone.'

1029
01:36:24,320 --> 01:36:26,759
Qi Jiguang retires to his home town.

1030
01:36:27,760 --> 01:36:30,759
Within the year, he is dead.

1031
01:36:33,400 --> 01:36:37,399
He leaves behind 1,000 kilometres
of Great Wall and towers,

1032
01:36:38,120 --> 01:36:42,119
the most comprehensive
defensive line in China's history.

1033
01:36:44,440 --> 01:36:48,439
But still not
finished as he intended...

1034
01:36:49,040 --> 01:36:52,599
..and with him no longer there
to make it work.

1035
01:36:52,600 --> 01:36:56,599
Qi Jiguang was the heart
and soul of the wall.

1036
01:36:57,040 --> 01:37:00,599
You needed a man with Qi's vision

1037
01:37:00,600 --> 01:37:04,599
to use the wall not only
as a static barrier

1038
01:37:05,080 --> 01:37:09,279
but as an offensive weapon
against the Mongols.

1039
01:37:09,840 --> 01:37:14,839
Once Qi was gone, then the Ming
just retreated behind the walls.

1040
01:37:16,880 --> 01:37:20,679
The real problem then was
the Ming did not know

1041
01:37:20,680 --> 01:37:24,679
what was happening outside the wall.

1042
01:37:24,920 --> 01:37:28,919
Outside the wall, the Mongols
were teaming up with a new enemy.

1043
01:37:29,480 --> 01:37:32,119
The Manchu empire -

1044
01:37:32,120 --> 01:37:36,119
the next dynasty in waiting.

1045
01:37:48,700 --> 01:37:53,699
It is 1644, more than 50 years
since the death of Qi Jiguang.

1046
01:37:56,260 --> 01:38:00,259
The Great Wall system
he built still stands.

1047
01:38:01,060 --> 01:38:05,059
Yet behind it,
the empire is crumbling...

1048
01:38:06,500 --> 01:38:10,499
..crippled
by the weight of defence costs.

1049
01:38:11,140 --> 01:38:13,819
Now corruption in court,
neglect of defence

1050
01:38:13,820 --> 01:38:18,819
and peasant revolt push the Ming
dynastyto the brink of collapse.

1051
01:38:21,000 --> 01:38:25,499
And beyond the Wall,
the Manchu army is coming.

1052
01:38:43,220 --> 01:38:47,219
The Manchus were a much more
organised and unified force

1053
01:38:48,060 --> 01:38:52,059
than the Mongols.
They moved in systematically.

1054
01:38:52,260 --> 01:38:56,019
They launched raids on China
in 1636 and 1638 as they moved

1055
01:38:56,020 --> 01:39:00,019
in on the Chinese Empire.

1056
01:39:02,020 --> 01:39:04,699
Sweeping down from the northeast,

1057
01:39:04,700 --> 01:39:08,699
the Manchu approach the
Great Wall at Shanhaiguan...

1058
01:39:10,860 --> 01:39:12,779
..where historian David Spindler

1059
01:39:12,980 --> 01:39:15,539
enters the town from
the Chinese side,

1060
01:39:15,540 --> 01:39:18,879
heading for the most fortified
gate in the history of the Wall,

1061
01:39:18,980 --> 01:39:22,979
once called
the First Pass Under Heaven.

1062
01:39:24,580 --> 01:39:30,579
It is here on May 27th, 1644
that the Great Wall is finally
breached...

1063
01:39:32,060 --> 01:39:36,059
..without a single drop
of blood being spilled.

1064
01:39:40,980 --> 01:39:42,859
On the same day,

1065
01:39:42,860 --> 01:39:46,859
500 kilometres west in Beijing,
Emperor Chongzhen, the 16th

1066
01:39:47,340 --> 01:39:53,339
Ming emperor, leaves his palace for
the first and last time in his life.

1067
01:39:54,700 --> 01:39:58,999
His empire, riven with rebellion
and corruption, is bankrupt.

1068
01:40:01,500 --> 01:40:05,079
He is drunk.

1069
01:40:05,180 --> 01:40:09,779
In the spring of 1644,
the capital of Beijing was taken over

1070
01:40:10,140 --> 01:40:11,859
by a Chinese rebel leader.

1071
01:40:11,860 --> 01:40:14,419
So, at that time,

1072
01:40:14,420 --> 01:40:18,419
the Chinese Empire was
not a functioning entity.

1073
01:40:18,540 --> 01:40:22,039
The country was really in collapse.

1074
01:40:40,300 --> 01:40:43,619
With the Manchu army
approaching Shanhaiguan,

1075
01:40:43,820 --> 01:40:45,739
inside the town, Chinese rebels

1076
01:40:45,940 --> 01:40:49,939
have taken control and the garrison
commander is ordered to surrender.

1077
01:40:51,900 --> 01:40:55,899
His back was quite literally
up against the inside of this wall,

1078
01:40:56,020 --> 01:41:00,619
and he called for help from outside
of the wall, which was quite ironic,

1079
01:41:00,820 --> 01:41:02,399
because the people outside
of the wall

1080
01:41:02,500 --> 01:41:06,899
are the ones that it was built to
defend against.

1081
01:41:08,500 --> 01:41:12,499
The most impregnable
defences in China's history,

1082
01:41:12,780 --> 01:41:15,539
never once taken by force,

1083
01:41:15,540 --> 01:41:19,539
are now opened
to let the enemy inside

1084
01:41:19,700 --> 01:41:23,999
in a last, desperate bid
to save the failing empire.

1085
01:41:32,380 --> 01:41:34,659
This is an exciting place to be,

1086
01:41:34,660 --> 01:41:37,499
because I know that this is where it
happened.

1087
01:41:37,700 --> 01:41:41,699
I'm in one of the three places
through which the Manchus streamed

1088
01:41:42,020 --> 01:41:46,019
on May 27th, 1644.

1089
01:41:48,580 --> 01:41:52,079
They overran the country
and they stayed,

1090
01:41:52,560 --> 01:41:57,059
and they ruled China
for the next 200 or so years.

1091
01:42:07,980 --> 01:42:11,979
(SOBS)

1092
01:42:29,940 --> 01:42:34,939
As the Ming era closes, the Great
Wall experiment closes with it.

1093
01:42:36,780 --> 01:42:40,579
The coming centuries are
marked by more outside threats.

1094
01:42:40,580 --> 01:42:44,459
Yet this time, invasions do
not come overland from the north

1095
01:42:44,460 --> 01:42:48,459
but from the wider
world across the oceans.

1096
01:42:50,700 --> 01:42:55,699
And so, for hundreds of years,
the fabric of the wall decays.

1097
01:42:59,260 --> 01:43:03,079
Today, the skeleton of the
Great Dragon is all that remains

1098
01:43:03,180 --> 01:43:06,219
of the beast that once lived.

1099
01:43:06,420 --> 01:43:10,419
But its spirit lives on...

1100
01:43:12,820 --> 01:43:16,099
..not just in the bricks and stones

1101
01:43:16,400 --> 01:43:19,979
now being restored across hundreds
of kilometres,

1102
01:43:19,980 --> 01:43:22,739
but in the great
wall of iron and steel,

1103
01:43:22,740 --> 01:43:26,739
the modern army that protects China
today...