The Great Wall: The Extraordinary Story of China s Wonder of the World by John Man (PDF)

Description

It is a wonder of the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists journey to the Great Wall of China, and a myriad of photographs have made it familiar to millions more. Yet 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 legend. Along the way, he delves into the remarkable and complex history of China—from the country’s tribal past through its war with the Mongols to its present-day status as a resurgent superpower.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author John Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in China and Mongolia whose list of acclaimed books includes Genghis Khan. He lives in the United Kingdom.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐”The Great Wall” is another book by John Man which examines the history of a Chinese historical monument. Another book was focused on the Terra Cotta Army of the first emperor’s tomb, this is a bigger story covering a larger period in the history of China.There are many legends concerning the Great Wall, the silliest being that it can seen from space (a legend that continues to be cited by some people and whose origins lie with a 1932 Ripley’s Believe it or Not column). The stories written by westerners are somewhat less compelling than those of the Chinese tell of the Great Wall and its construction. Throughout its history, the Great Wall has served as focal point of Chinese historical epics, the earliest of which date back to the Han period of 202 BC-220 AD. l.The Great Wall is an appropriate symbol of Chinese history because it has been around in one form or another since there was a unified China. The first version being constructed by the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di. Many believe, due mainly to western propaganda, that the wall is entirely made of stone and looks much like the version of it familiar to those covering state visits to China. This section of wall, located near Beijing in Badaling was constructed as part of a series of fortifications by the Ming dynasty which was in power from 1368-1644. The first attempts at building a wall were much cruder. For much of its history (and the first emperor ruled around 221-206 BC), the wall was made of earth and was in some cases a mere 2 meters high. There are many walls and versions of walls that were constructed between the first attempts. Between 220-1368 the Chinese used a combination of local walls and walled cities to defend the northern frontier. These too are included in Man’s account as part of the idea of a Great Wall. It was not until the Ming period where the Great Wall of today was built and this approach to defense became more effective. .The effectiveness of the Great Wall or the series of walls that make it up varied, depending on the dynasty and how good it was in maintaining the defenses and the army. The establishment of the Mongol Yuan dynasty was a reflection not only of the divisions within the geographical area we define as China, but also the failure of the defenses like the Great Wall to hinder the invasion. Really the Ming Dynasty was the first to develop a real defense strategy using its own version of the Great Wall. However the greatest of Great Walls was no defense when Chinese generals were determined on a change of dynasties as was Wu Sangui in 1644 due to an almost total breakdown of authority. The Qing dynasty’s establishment rendered the Great Wall more a symbol of the past and history of China than a effective approach to defense.John Man’s approach to telling the story of the Great Wall is an entertaining and informative mix of legend, history, archeology and travel writing. Man traces the route that the Great Wall takes across northern China, including his own travails along the journey and showing just how far (and how not so far) new China has come in embracing the 21st century. This is an excellent summary of the development of one of the world’s wonders.

⭐I learn a lot. The most I learnt is that the wall is useless for its purpose and becomes a symbol of China’s greatness though uselessness

⭐I have never been disappointed by anything John Man has written. He writes of places that he has visited not just researched from books by others. He brings the reader along with him. I read this in preparation of a trip to China and to climb the great wall. I was not disappointed by my trip or his book as I reread in as I travelled in China.

⭐Book as described. Fair price and fast shipping.

⭐China, it seems, is a land that conjures much myth among non-Chinese, and “the Great Wall,” as historian John Man deftly illustrates, is one such myth. To begin with: there is no wall; it doesn’t exist. Rather there are a whole series of walls, built at different times, by different rulers, of different materials, and for a whole host of different reasons. This assortment of barriers was never effective at keeping out the marauding barbarian hordes, chiefly because it was never intended to do that. And those barbarian hordes, as Man explains, were never that barbaric to begin with. In fact, just about every notion you ever had about the divide(s) is most likely dead wrong, and part of the pleasure of reading this book is finding out the truth.Man’s style is a bit workmanlike in places, but occasionally it glimmers with poetic description. He’s a researcher – an expert on Mongolia, for example – and an explorer, and his tone is intelligent and down to earth. He tracks the walls’ sections through most of the country, and his travels, supplemented by his copious research and excellent knowledge of ancient Chinese and Mongolian history, are really fun to read. Here’s a man on a serious mission in an often baffling, bizarre, and not-so-serious nation.I really liked this book. I learned heaps and was entertained while doing it. In fact, I went out and bought another one of his books, The Terracotta Army, also very good. With The Great Wall, don’t expect to be bowled over with elegant prose, but do expect do come away knowing a great deal more about China’s national symbol – and its national mindset – than just about anyone.Troy Parfitt, author of Why China Will Never Rule the World

⭐After 250 pages about the wall(s) and wall building, after learning of the incredible cost, loss of life and dubious benefits, this quote from Emir Muhammad of Qatar stays with you.While millions of tourists visit the restored wall outside of Beijing, there are hundreds of miles of wall to be explored. Author, John Man visits many less famous and some virtually unknown segments. He travels to remote areas of China and Mongolia. In some places the walls provide dwelling or market places in others they are totally forgotten. John Man, as he does in his earlier book,

⭐meets interesting people along the way who provide perspective on the 3000 year long phenomena of wall building.My only criticism of the book is its layout and format which were undoubtedly economic decisions of the publisher. For me, there was a lot of flipping back and forth. It would have been good to have a map introducing each wall segment and the segment’s photos placed along with it. Also, the pictures were wonderful and each too small for its page. Perhaps this could be reworked with more photos as a coffee table book.I was very impressed with the perspective that Man was able to give on the long and complex history of China. I recommend this book for general readers, arm chair travelers and anyone interested in the history of China.

⭐An excellent book and well written. Man’s book is an amazing insight on the world of the Terracotta Army and its history. It is an easy to read and enjoyable book with a charm all of its own. Man also shows great respect and humility throughout his writing, his journalistic background being very recognisable. The book also contains colour images which help the reader appreciate the incredible discoveries. After reading Man’s book I was inspired to write my own own book of fiction.W.M.Aslam

⭐Unable to give proper review of this purchase re.content as it was bought as a present.The person I bought it for I know was delighted.They did inform me that they found out many facts they were not aware of.

⭐This is a good starting point for information on the Great Wall (or walls) of China. No technical detail here but a basic history of how and when the walls were built.

⭐At least this author admits that none of the Chinese walls can be seen from space and that there is more than one wall(at last count there were 14) but continues to use the misnomer The Great Wall Of China which should at least be in the pleural.The author recounts in well written detail a)the earth walls which includes the 3 walls of the Warring States (350-300bc)and the Han Wall (202bc-220ad) plus b)the stone walls-the Jin Wall(1115-1234)and the Ming wall (1368-1644) Only the Ming Wall which runs from the Pacific coast at the border of China with North Korea to the JadeGate at Juiyguan about 4000 miles to the west could be considered the Great wall which in fact is a European invention as the Chinese Call the walls frontier walls.The pictures are excellent but a few more would have enhanced the book. The maps are of below average quality.There is a good bibliography,the appendix giving dates of dynastys and the chronology of the walls is excellent but it should have been placed at the front of the book.The chapter on the Lost Legion is a nice touch.

⭐brilliant

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