Prof Jia
THE Great Wall of China symbolises largesse of a great country. Construction of ‘The Great Wall’ dates back to 200 BC. The age of the Wall is now 2,200 years. During long years of its existence, the ‘Great Wall’ sustained damage in its various parts, needing repairs or even reconstruction. The situation continues to this day.
The portion of the Wall lying near Beijing has remained in the focus of tourists visiting China, especially Beijing. In 1970 a part of the Wall rear Beijing needed repairs, but the Chinese Government was not affluent enough to spare funds for that purpose. One might say China in 1970 was quite poor. The Chinese Government decided to seek donations for the repair of the Great Wall.
The Beijing Government made a promise to the would-be donors: Name of a donor, donating ¥200,000 would be inscribed on a stone that will be erected in the repaired portion of the Wall. Lo and behold! There were only a few people, Chinese included, who came forward to save the crumbling wall. Of those few, was Pakistan government which donated ¥200,000 towards the Repair Fund for the Great Wall. ¥200,000 mattered in 1970.
The Chinese Government used the money for the repairs of the Great Wall. The government in Beijing inscribed names of the donors on beautiful stones. The stones were nicely erected in the portion of the Wall that was being repaired. Thousands of people who visit the Wall near Beijing are amazed at the spirit of the donors. There is one stone that is very big. It is very beautiful too.
It is the stone which carries inscription acknowledging Pakistan’s friendly gesture to the Chinese people and government who hold this gesture in high esteem. China cannot let this gesture go off their memory. The stone commemorating Pakistan’s donation was erected in the Wall to serve as an ode to the friendly and timely gesture of Pakistan for China. The commemorative stone in the Great Wall has proved to be the cornerstone of Pakistan-China bilateral relations.
The Chinese in the ancient times, built the Great Wall to ensure the country’s defence against their enemies. They adopted a new strategy to keep the adversaries out by constructing the Wall along the northern border of China. Unlike the earlier fortifications, the Ming construction in the 14th century was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth.
Up to 25,000 watchtowers are estimated to have been constructed on the wall. As Mongol raids continued periodically over the years, the Ming devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the Wall. Sections near the Ming capital of Beijing were especially strong. Towards the end of the Ming dynasty, the Great Wall helped defend the empire against the Manchu invasions that began around 1600.
The North African traveller Ibn Battuta, who visited China during the Yuan dynasty ca. 1346, had heard about China’s Great Wall, possibly before he had arrived in China, soon after Europeans reached China by ship in the early 16th century. Accounts of the Great Wall started to circulate in Europe soon after. Perhaps the first recorded instance of a European actually entering China via the Great Wall came in 1605, when a Portuguese Jesuit brother Bento de Góis reached the northwestern Jiayu Pass from India. The Great Wall has been in focus of the tourists ever since China opened to the outer world. (End)
—The writer is a senior teacher of Chinese Language at the National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad.
