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The most popular one goes as follows: It was in Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.). Having escaped from the heavy labour work at the Great Wall construction site, a young man called Fan Qi Liang hid in a private garden where he ran into Meng Jiang Nü, the daughter of the garden owner. They married but right after the wedding, Fan Qi Liang was taken away to build the Great Wall again. Meng Jiang Nü waited at home. Winter came but Fan Qi Liang did not return. Meng Jiang Nü made him some warm clothes and decided to take them to her husband.
She got to the construction site but Fan Qi Liang was nowhere to be found. She was then told that Fan Qi Liang had died and his body was built into the Great Wall. Meng Jiang Nü cried night and day. Her sorrow was so deep that the Great Wall broke down and exposed the bones and bodies of many dead men. Meng Jiang Nü cut her fingers and dripped her blood on the dead until her blood flowed into one. Knowing that this was her husband, she buried him and then jumped into water and killed herself. This is a very wide-spread legend about the Great Wall and was even made into movies three times. If you ever get a chance to visit Shan Hai Guan, the eastern end of the Ming Great Wall - actually, the Ming Great Wall used to extend further east and northward, - you can pay a visit to the temple dedicated to Meng Jiang Nü.
Though just a legend, the story of Meng Jiang Nü did tell one truth: Many people have given their lives building the Great Wall, and many more defending the Wall. With a history of over 2,000 years, the Great Wall witnessed the changes of time, the lives of people, the happening of events, and the stories of many individuals. So much laughter, so many tears, the Great Wall all endured with silence.
For more information, please visit Great Wall of China Guide.
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