Chapter 3 Chapter 1 The Stage of History-1

Every nation has its living space—the stage of history, and so does the Chinese. The stage of Chinese history is one of the largest and oldest stages in the world, and this stage is the territory of China that we are going to introduce now.It is located in eastern Asia, between the turbulent Pacific Ocean and the towering Pamirs.Around the 30th century BC, when ancient civilizations were sprouting in distant Egypt, Mesopotamia, and nearer India, the Chinese also created their own Chinese civilization on their own land.This civilization has continued, and after continuous sublation, it has flourished until today.

The Chinese at that time thought they were rightly at the center of the world, so they called themselves China, meaning a country at the center of the world.And because the land where they live is beautiful and lovely, they call themselves Zhonghua, which means beautiful and lovely.As for calling themselves and being called the Han nationality or Han people, that was after the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty in the second century BC.In the 3rd century BC and the 22nd century BC, they also called themselves and were called Qin people or Xia people. The former were people from the Qin Dynasty and the latter were people from the Xia Dynasty.

China, like any ancient civilization, has grown from small primitive tribes and small regions to continuous integration, melting and expansion, and finally became a huge empire.By the beginning of the 20th century, China's territory had reached 11.4 million square kilometers.It is as far west as the Pamir Plateau (74 degrees east longitude), as far east as the mouth of the Wusuli River (135 degrees east longitude), as far north as Mohe Town, Mohe County, Heilongjiang Province (53 degrees north latitude), and as far south as the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea. Zengmu Shoal (4 degrees north latitude).

The Chinese version at that time imaged a peaceful and tranquil crabapple leaf, Taiwan Island and Hainan Island, like two huge pearls inlaid under the petiole.The islands in the South China Sea are numerous small clusters of pearls scattered in the turquoise waters. Chinese people were born and grew up in this space, and Chinese history is also performed on this stage.Before we formally describe his growth and performance, we should have an understanding of him, including every important corner of the stage and the entire cast. in the air immediately Now, let us fly westward from the vast Pacific Ocean in a spaceship that can travel at the same speed as the speed of light.

The first thing that comes out is a row of Japanese islands, lying quietly in the giant waves, almost all of which are mountains, and we may also notice that it is constantly trembling. There is a world-famous volcanic area, the Japanese archipelago. It sits right on top.Continuing to fly west, we can see a majestic peninsula half the size of the Japanese archipelago, shaped like an exclamation mark, inserted between the yellow sea of ​​the Japanese islands.Its southern tip is far away from the southern tip of the Japanese archipelago across the Tsushima Strait. This is the Korean Peninsula.One of the successors of Chinese culture, and it was transferred to Japan, another successor of Chinese culture.

North of the Korean peninsula is China's affluent northeast region.South of the Korean Peninsula is the 14,000-kilometer-long Chinese coast that twists and turns into a semicircle.There are two small peninsulas on the northern coast - the Liaodong Peninsula and the Shandong Peninsula, which clamp the bay of the Bohai Sea like crab claws.The central coast juts out to the east, where the petioles of the crabapple leaves are.The south coast stretches westward, and the two pearl islands, Taiwan Island and Hainan Island, are clearly visible. After crossing the coast, the spacecraft officially entered the sky over China, and a huge stage appeared in front of my eyes.Four long rivers are evenly lined up on the huge stage, flowing from west to east.The northernmost border with Russia is Heilongjiang, the second north is the Yellow River, the next north is the Yellow River, the southern one is the Yangtze River, and the southernmost one is the Pearl River.

If it is February weather, we will see from the spacecraft that the northernmost Heilongjiang is frozen for thousands of miles, and the Chinese there are still wearing leather clothes and boots, and the hot air from their mouths will immediately condense into ice on their eyelashes; while the southernmost At this time, the Pearl River was still flowing, and the Chinese people there were sweating on their foreheads.If people from the two places travel alternately, they need to be guided by experts if they only wear clothes. If a person departs from Guangzhou wearing single clothes, when he gets off the plane in Mohe County on the bank of Heilongjiang, he may freeze to death immediately. The degree of distance between the north and the south of the stage.

Around the Bohai Sea, a black line stretches westward over mountains and ridges, which is the world-famous Great Wall.To the north of the Great Wall is the desert area of ​​Inner and Inner Mongolia. At this time, it is still in midwinter, but in the south of the Great Wall, spring has returned. From the Great Wall to the Huaihe River, the endless North China Plain, is covered with green wheat, like a mountain. There is no limit to the sea, and the town is but a group of isolated islands.When the gentle spring breeze blows, the fields set off wheat waves, churning and surging, and the close-knit villages float in the wheat waves, more like fishing boats on the sea.In the south, that is, south of the Huaihe River, across the Yangtze River, to Hainan Island, there are endless rice fields. For the sake of irrigation, the rice fields are divided into pieces, like countless precious mirrors reflecting thousands of rays of light in the sun.

This is the landscape of China proper, where five out of six Chinese lived by the early twentieth century. Continue to fly westward, about 800 kilometers away from the Shandong Peninsula. The spacecraft passed the Taihang Mountains, which stretch from north to south, and saw the Shanxi Plateau, which suddenly rose from the ground.To the north of it is the vast sea desert group, which looks like a dead sea when it is still, and you can't even hear the sound of autumn insects. Once the sandstorm blows up, people's vision will be blurred.The Shanxi Plateau is just a part of the Loess Plateau. When the wind and sand roar, its power is second only to the real desert.Most of the residents in the Loess Plateau live in cave dwellings. The cave dwellings are very humble in appearance, but the interior is warm in winter and cool in summer.

Just in Taiyuan, the central city of the Shanxi Plateau, heading south to Dongting Lake, above the north-south line, we must set our watches back for one hour. If the spacecraft enters China at eight o'clock, then after crossing this line, the time will be seven Time.Time is turning back as we step into another zone of GMT. Soon, we will be able to see Lanzhou, an ancient city on the bank of the Yellow River. To the north of it is the vast desert stretching westward, and to the south is the vast Sichuan Basin and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.The vast green world of the Great North China Plain and the Splendid Jiangnan is gradually disappearing.What we see is another scene. Except for the lush Sichuan Basin, the growth of crops in other areas is very difficult.The sound of camel bells on the vast deserts in the north is the most powerful sound, while the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the south is full of astonishing mountains and river valleys. Its rich underground minerals did not show their importance until the 20th century.

Qinghai Lake, the largest saltwater lake in China, slipped past the spacecraft, and we saw Jiayuguan at the end of the Great Wall, Xingxiu Sea, the birthplace of the Yellow River like stars in the sky, and Tuotuo River, the birthplace of the Yangtze River.Just above them, the watch had to be set back another hour, because we had traveled another fifteen hundred kilometers in a straight line since the last hour.And at the same time, we will be surprised to find that the ground rises more suddenly.If we enter China at an altitude of 4,000 meters and keep this altitude constant, then the spaceship has hit the ground at this time, because we have reached the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is more than 4,500 meters on average—that is, the highest altitude in the world. The plateau, known as the roof of the world, where the spacecraft must rise. You can’t see much on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Before the 20th century, it was the loneliest area in China. All you could see were snow-covered hills and cold and barren gravel hills, only occasionally with long-haired cattle. Cargo is loaded in the valley, forming a solitary formation, moving forward.Due to the cold climate and bad soil, the crops are very scarce, and there are only a small amount of low-quality green grass; the population is even rarer, with an average of less than one person per square kilometer.To the north of the roof of the world is the huge Tarim Basin that sinks steeply.To the north is the Tianshan Mountains.Across the Tianshan Mountains, there is another basin that sinks suddenly, namely the Junggar Basin.The sparse population on these two basins—only 2.5 million at the beginning of the 20th century, including various ethnic groups like a fair, is the most ethnically diverse area in China; it is between the desert and the giant mountains On the thousands of miles of grassland, there are moving scenes described by the poet as "the sky is blue, the wild is vast, and the wind blows the grass and sees the cattle and sheep".Compared with eastern China, what is shown here is beyond the imagination of people who live on square rice fields. The world's highest peak, Mount Everest, and the huge mountain range it belongs to, the Himalayas, have disappeared before our eyes.The spacecraft has now advanced about 1,500 kilometers, and it is right over the center of the Tarim Basin. The watch must be set back again, and the six o'clock must be set to five o'clock.Makes people feel a kind of surprise and joy of turning back their youth. The constant change of time will disrupt the normal routine of life, which is the annoyance of the vast territory.From the mouth of the Ussuri River in the far east to Pamir in the far west, the time difference is four hours.When the fishermen at the mouth of the Ussuri River were fishing in the morning light, the farmers in Pamir were still sleeping soundly.A person flies westward in a superluminal vehicle at dawn from the mouth of the Ussuri River. He will find that the sky is getting darker and darker. But it was midnight.There are only a few countries in the world that have this peculiar landscape, and these few countries are: Russia, China, Canada, the United States, Brazil, and Australia. After dialing the watch, we arrived at the Pamir Plateau, the mother of mountains. It is the westernmost border of China. Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan surround it on the other side, becoming the three major neighbors at the end of the western border of China. After a bird's-eye view from the sky, let's get off the spaceship, step on the horseback, and have another understanding of this huge stage. The table below shows the time required for a horse-riding visit to several important cities before the eighteenth century.It was the official itinerary of the Qing Dynasty in the 18th century from the then capital Beijing to various post stations (the last one was from Baotou to Kashgar, which was an ordinary business travel itinerary). Spend.Although it was stipulated by the Qing government in the 18th century, this situation can be traced back to the era of fighting the Huns in the third century BC. In terms of transportation, there have been only slight improvements and few breakthrough changes in the past two thousand years. The "deadline" refers to the normal speed of horses as the standard when the post station delivers official documents, that is, the normal speed of riding a horse as the standard. "Expedited" is mostly used in military operations. The action of express post delivery is a thrilling movie scene: the stage horse runs at the speed of four-legged highlands, and the bell can be heard one kilometer away. After arriving, the station commander who was on standby day and night immediately got on his horse and galloped away.When the rear horse catches up with the front horse, and when the two horses join each other, the horse does not stop, and the official document is handed over immediately.The stage horse often dies due to excessive running. If it survives within five years, it will become a BMW and retire. It will be raised by the government and will no longer work in order to reward its contribution to the country. This speed is certainly not suitable for ordinary businessmen and tourists, but it is a moving symbol of a huge country.There are only a few empires in the history of the East and West, such as the Persian Empire, the Alexander Empire, the Roman Empire, the Arab Empire, and the later Mongol Empire and the Timurid Empire, which can be compared with China’s 105-day horse march.But they have all been obliterated by time, only China has survived so far. Pay attention to the distance between the two places. The number of miles is equal, which does not mean that the itinerary and the number of days will be equal.Obstacles, such as rough mountain paths, can reduce speed sharply.The number of days on the table is based on horses.If we had jumped from horseback and walked instead, the number of days would have tripled or quadrupled. Two rivers and lakes After having a general impression of the entire territory of China, let us introduce its various forms by category. These forms constitute the entire landform of the stage and are an important basis for the development of Chinese history. First introduce several important rivers in Chinese history. The total length of Heilongjiang is 4,350 kilometers, but only 3,420 kilometers are in China and the border between China and Russia.It is the northernmost waterway in China, with a drainage area of ​​1.62 million square kilometers (including the area outside the border). There are six months of ice in a year. The river surface is like steel, and heavy tanks can ride on it at will. gallop.However, it did not have a particularly important position in the history of ancient China. It was not until the 14th century that it came into contact with China. In the 17th century, with the Qing Dynasty established by the Manchus, it entered China and was incorporated into the Chinese territory like a dowry.Its largest tributary, the Songhua River, has a total length of 1,927 kilometers. It was called the Huntong River in the tenth century. It was the main fishing and hunting channel of the Liao Empire established by the Khitan people and the Khitan people. The Yellow River has a total length of 5,464 kilometers and a drainage area of ​​750,000 square kilometers. It is the most important river in Chinese history.The ancient Chinese civilization took place and grew up in this basin, and most of the history was performed in this basin.This second largest river in China originates from the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province, forms a "ji" shape, and flows eastward into the Bohai Sea.Almost all rivers have certain benefits, such as navigation, fishing, and irrigation.Only the Yellow River has done little help but great harm to the inhabitants on its banks.It has historically played the role of a moody dragon, billowing and galloping, dedicated to wreaking havoc.From the 23rd century B.C. to the early 20th century A.D., there were more than 1,500 small breaches, seven major breaches and eight major diversions listed in the table below (including an artificial diversion). Every diversion of the Yellow River is a horrible massacre.And the minor floods, second only to the diversion catastrophe, have caused horrific human and animal casualties every time.Therefore, the Yellow River is also the river that engulfs the most lives and property in the world.More than half of it passes through the Loess Plateau. The loess washed down and the dust from the northern desert group make it very turbid in the upper reaches. When it reaches the Sanmenxia (Henan Sanmenxia), it suddenly enters the extremely small slope between the two mountains. On the plains, the river surface widened, the water flow slowed down, and more than 60% of the large amount of sediment carried by it began to settle.The more than 800-kilometer-long riverbed from Luoyang to the Bohai Sea gradually rises, and finally exceeds the ground, and it is entirely restrained by artificial embankments.A resident who lives on the 20th floor of Kaifeng, if he opens a window and looks north, he will be shocked to find that the Yellow River is flowing eastward hundreds of meters above his head.Every year when the ice melts in spring and the rainfall is abundant at the turn of summer and autumn, it is a dangerous season for breaches.In summer, the surface of the river, which is only a few hundred meters, will expand steeply. From the south bank, the north bank cannot be seen, only the endless raging yellow waves.If the embankment cannot withstand the sharp impact, it will burst, and a great tragedy will happen.The Yellow River is condescending, and its breach is like a huge dam bursting suddenly, and the loud noise of galloping horses can be heard ten kilometers away.Countless people on the new river channel at the breach, awakened from their dreams, unless they are particularly lucky, are rarely engulfed by the flood like ants filling their nests.Several major dynasties in history have set up special personnel and specialized agencies to be responsible for embankment protection and construction.However, if politics is not cleared up, such specialized institutions will instead become places of the greatest waste and corruption.Regarding the Yellow River, until the twentieth century, the Chinese had no choice but to lament their fate.After the Nile River flooded, what was left was fertile soil, but what was left after the Yellow River burst was a piece of yellow sand.However, it was in this difficult environment that the splendid ancient Chinese civilization emerged. The Yangtze River is the largest river in China, with a total length of 6,300 kilometers and a drainage area of ​​1.8 million square kilometers.Contrary to the Yellow River, the Yangtze River is a happy and compassionate river, and it has all the benefits that a river should have.But it appeared later in history. When the Yellow River Basin had reached a fairly high level of civilization, the Yangtze River Basin was still a barren land. ①The geographical background of the Yangtze River is more suitable for the production of civilization than the Yellow River, and the two giant rivers are very close to each other. We don’t know what opportunity caused Chinese civilization to occur in the Yellow River and not in the Yangtze River. This is probably the biggest puzzle in the history of human evolution. one.But once the Yangtze River appeared in Chinese history, it cut off China's territory in the middle.In the third century, Cao Pi, an emperor who was also a writer, once said: "God created the Yangtze River to divide China into north and south." It is customary to call the north of the Yangtze River the North, or North China; the south of the Yangtze River is called the South, Jiangnan, and Jiangnan. or South China.Many dynasties with their capitals in the north often fled to the south when they were attacked by nomads in the northern desert and failed to resist, and lingered under the protection of the Yangtze River.Although the nomads are good at riding horses, they are helpless with ships. Under the situation that they cannot cross the vast Yangtze River, they have to admit the confrontation between the North and the South.However, none of the remnants of the regime that fled to the south of the Yangtze River was able to fight back vigorously, and had no choice but to accept the fact that half of the country was covered.The famous three-hundred-year period of great division and the more than one-hundred-year confrontation between the two great empires of Song and Jin were formed by the stalemate caused by the turbulent waves of the Yangtze River. ① This is just a Wei-Jin saying.Many people believe that the Yangtze River is also the birthplace of Chinese civilization. --editor ②Inaccurate.In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were many incidents in which the South counterattacked the North.Among them, Liu Yu did a good job——Editor In fact, the Pearl River itself is only 80 kilometers long, but it has three tributaries, Xijiang, Dongjiang, and Beijiang. With Xijiang as the main trunk, the total length is 2,197 kilometers and the drainage area is 450,000 square kilometers.It appeared the latest in Chinese history, and it mostly flows through wild areas where political and economic influence cannot occur.Its importance only became apparent after the Opium Wars in the nineteenth century. In addition to the four major rivers, there are a number of other smaller rivers that have played an important role in history.such as: With a total length of 695 kilometers, Fenshui originated from Guancen Mountain, which is full of myths in the southwest of Ningwu County, Shanxi Province.Longitudinal through the Shanxi Plateau and pouring into the Yellow River to the southwest, its downstream is one of the important birthplaces of ancient Chinese civilization. Several ancient capitals before the epoch stand on both sides of the river.The capitals of Yao Emperor Yi Qi Fangxun and Shun Emperor Yao Chonghua, who were sung by the Confucian school as the most holy and sage, were built on the banks of Fenshui.It maintained a high historical status until the nineteenth century. The Sanggan River has a total length of 650 kilometers and also originates from Guancen Mountain, but it flows eastward.After the middle reaches, its sediment concentration is as high as 38%, and the river bed is 23 meters above the ground, so it is constantly breaking and diverting just like the Yellow River. The Chinese sadly call it the Little Yellow River, also known as It is Wuding River.In the eighth century, this area was close to the frontier, and wars broke out constantly. A poet of the Tang Dynasty once wrote a sad poem: "Poor bones by the Wuding River, like people in a dream of spring sleepiness." Mourning the heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country.In the 18th century, Emperor Xuan Ye of the Qing Dynasty ordered to change the name of the river to Yongding River, hoping that nothing would happen to it.When it flows through the south of the ancient capital of Beijing, it is also called Lugou because of the sound grass growing in the river.In the 12th century, the Jin Empire built a bridge on it, which is the famous Marco Polo Bridge on which the eight-year bloody war against the Japanese Empire broke out 800 years later.It then flows to Tianjin, where it joins several other rivers and is called the Haihe River, which flows from Tianjin to the Bohai Sea through Dagukou. The Wei River has a total length of 818 kilometers. It originates from Niaoshu Mountain in the southwest of Weiyuan County, Gansu Province, and flows eastward into the Yellow River. Its downstream is the fertile Guanzhong Basin, one of the important growth places of ancient Chinese civilization.The four most glorious dynasties in China——Zhou, Qin, Western Han, and Tang, for about 2,000 years, all established their capitals in Chang’an (Xi’an, Shaanxi Province) on the banks of the Wei River. .The Ren River, one of the tributaries of the Wei River, originates from Beiliupan Mountain in Longde County, Ningxia. Its sediment concentration is as high as 50%. The Yellow River has such a tributary that is half water and half sand. No wonder it cannot get rid of it. Cursed by the people, the two rivers of Jingwei and Wei merged in the northeast of Xi'an. After the confluence, a strange phenomenon occurred, that is, the water of the river was divided, and the speed of passing the river was relatively fast. Its water galloped down along the north bank and suddenly entered the plain. On the contrary, it is relatively clear; while the Weihe River, which has the same amount of sand, runs along the south bank, and because of its slower speed, it is relatively turbid.There is a Chinese proverb that says: "The path is clear and clear", which is used to describe two completely different things, although they are mixed together, they still maintain their characteristics. With a total length of 1,000 kilometers, the Huaihe River originates from Tongbai Mountain in the northwest of Tongbai County, Henan Province, and flows eastward into the East China Sea.In the twelfth century, the Yellow River changed its course for the fifth time and divided into two branches, the north and the south, of which the south branch flowed into the Huaihe River.In the thirteenth century, the Yellow River diverted its course for the sixth time, and both the northern and southern branches flowed into the Huaihe River, and of course its sediment also flowed in at the same time.In the 19th century, the Yellow River changed its course for the seventh time, abandoning the Huaihe River and flowing north into the Bohai Sea. However, the river bed in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River was silted up and unable to wash away, so it had to divert from the Grand Canal to the Yangtze River.This independent river, which has been repeatedly ravaged by powerful neighbors, is like an angry boa constrictor. Whenever there is a little more rainfall upstream, it will roll and jump, drowning the surrounding fields.At the beginning of the 20th century, the Yellow River changed its course for the eighth time, and once again poured into the Huaihe River together with sediment, causing the flood to become even more serious.Together with the Yellow River and Yongding River, they are called three natural disasters in Chinese history.The Huaihe River and the Qinling Mountains to the west of it form an economic north-south dividing line in China, while the Yangtze River's dividing line is political.In the north of the Huaihe River, wheat and miscellaneous grains are the staple food, and in the south of the Huaihe River, rice is the staple food.There is a fable that once explained this division: the orange trees that grow in the south of the Huaihe River, when moved to the north of the Huaihe River, will produce bitter fruit. The Qiantang River has a total length of 494 kilometers. Its mouth into the sea presents a huge trumpet shape. It is known as the "Qiantang Tide".The river water and the seawater poured into the river estuary due to the tide; fighting each other, together with other strange reasons that have not been understood so far, made the river tide tower high into the sky and make a loud sound of heaven and earth breaking.Especially during the full moon season on August 15th of the lunar calendar, it is the most spectacular, often attracting hundreds of thousands of people watching the tide, thrilling on the shore. With a total length of 1,794 kilometers, the North-South Grand Canal is the longest canal in the world.Starting from the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, until Beijing, it runs through the heart of China.Among them, the section from the Yangtze River to the Huaihe River was excavated the earliest time. In the fifth century BC, it was excavated by Fucha, the husband of the king of Xishi, one of the beauties in Chinese history, and it was called Hangou at that time.The section from the Yangtze River to the Qiantang River in Hangzhou was excavated in the seventh century by Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty who suffered from macrocephaly.The section from the Huaihe River to Beijing was excavated by the Mongols in the 13th century.It is the only river in China that runs through the north and the south, and grain from the south of the Yangtze River is mainly exported to Beijing through it. In addition to rivers, we will introduce several important lakes in Chinese history. Qinghai Lake covers an area of ​​4,583 square kilometers and is the largest saltwater lake in China.Historically, because it has been outside the western frontier for a long time, it has become a desolate and mysterious Jingcheng. It was once incorporated into China in the seventh century. Haixin Mountain, a small island in the lake, is one of the holy places of Buddhism.In the past, because the Lamaist monks claimed that the water in Qinghai Lake was weak water, and the boat sank when it entered it, so no boat dared to sail on this boundless weak water.Only when it freezes in winter, the eminent monks in the temples on the island step out on the ice to purchase food and daily necessities for a year. It is also a miracle that Qinghai Lake freezes as a saltwater lake.It was originally a freshwater lake, through which the Buha River flows into the Yellow River in the south.Later, during a strong earthquake of which we do not know the age, Riyue Mountain was uplifted between the Yellow River and Qinghai Lake, and the lake was closed.It will probably take quite a while for the salt to increase to the point where it cannot freeze. Dongting Lake covers an area of ​​2,820 square kilometers, but this is only an approximation.When the water level of the Yangtze River rises, it is as wide as the sea.When the water dries up in winter, only a few rivers remain.But its importance is also here, it has the function of regulating the water volume of the Yangtze River. With an area of ​​3,583 square kilometers, Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China.Several famous water battles in history took place in Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake.The vast watersheds surrounded by the two lakes are a treasure house of agricultural products, which are considered to be sufficient for the population of the whole country during a good harvest, so there is a proverb that "the two lakes are cooked, and the world is full". Taihu Lake covers an area of ​​2,425 square kilometers, like a small Qinghai Lake.But Lake Tai is freshwater and sits in the heart of a fertile delta on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.Abundant agricultural and fishery products make the Taihu Basin known as the "Land of Fish and Rice".The richest farm family in Chinese history is located in this area.Their wealth would have stunned a farmer in the northern mountains or a shepherd in the desert. The most bizarre lake is Lop Nur in the Bailongdui Desert in Xinjiang.When the great explorer Zhang Qian entered the Western Regions in the second century BC, he saw it at first sight and called it "Salt Lake", which means that it is a saltwater lake with extremely high concentration.Lop Nur covers an area of ​​about 2,570 square kilometers—no one knows its exact figure because it varies in size and size.The rolling of quicksand and the evaporation of the sun, as well as the silting and diversion of the Tarim River, will dry up the old lake, and a new lake will appear in another area.So it became one of the few lakes in the world that can move. Juyanhai Lake (Gashun Nuoer Lake) covers an area of ​​about 1,800 square kilometers, and no one knows its exact figure.It is located at the western end of the North Hanhai Desert Group in the Hexi Corridor.It is divided into two lakes, like two lonely eyes in the desert.Since the second century BC, China has set up fortresses (pavilions) here to monitor the actions of the Huns.It is also a lake that can move, but unlike the uninhabited Lop Nur Lake, Juyanhai Lake is surrounded by fertile farmland, and the rivers formed by melting snow water flowing down from the Qilian Mountains have created a long and narrow river in the desert. After the oasis, it flows into Juyanhai Lake. three mountains The Pamir Plateau on the far western border of China is the mother of mountains in Asia, and she has multiplied her children and grandchildren in all directions.Each of these children and grandchildren has incomparable majesty.In the part of China, we divide it into two introductions, one is the mountains and the other is the mountains. Mountain range refers to a system of continuous undulating and visible peaks and ridges. The earliest mountain range to appear in Chinese history is the Taihang Mountains, which start from the northwest of Beijing and end on the north bank of the Yellow River in the south.Geologists say that the east of Taihang Mountain was originally a sea in ancient times, and some cities such as Beijing and Tianjin were all under the sea.It was only in the 40th or 30th century BC that it was alluvial into a vast wilderness with an altitude of only more than 20 meters. It is called Daluze or Hebei Plain, which constitutes a part of the North China Great Plain.The main peak, Xiaowutai Mountain, is 2,882 meters above sea level.To the west of the Taihang Mountains is a plateau with an average height of more than 1,000 meters, called the Shanxi Plateau, which constitutes a part of the Loess Plateau.The average height of the Taihang Mountains is 1,500 meters, which is enough to block the war on the Hebei Plain from going westward, and it has also become a refuge for refugees in times of war.The Taihang Mountain is more than 800 kilometers long from north to south, and there are only eight canyons that can only accommodate the Hebei Plain and the Shanxi Plateau. The world calls it "Taihang Eight Xings". ".Until the beginning of the 20th century, Taihang Mountain still made great contributions to national defense. The Qinling Mountains lie in the south of the ancient capital of Xi'an, parallel to the Weihe River. The main vein is 700 kilometers from east to west, and the main peak, Taibai Mountain, is 3,767 meters high.The average height of the main vein is 2,500 meters, which is 1,000 meters higher than Taihang Mountain.Its steep and treacherous valleys effectively cut off central China.Its tail is connected to the head of the Huaihe River, forming what we call the "Qinling-Huaihe River Line", which serves as the boundary between the north and the south of China.The north of the Qinling Mountains and the north of the Huaihe River belong to the geographical and humanistic system of North China.The south of the Qinling Mountains and the south of the Huaihe River belong to the Jiangnan geographical and humanistic system.The Qinling Mountains has the most famous "plank road" project in ancient China. On the cliffs, holes are drilled and poles are inserted, and wooden boards are laid on it as a road across the mountains.Several battles that reversed the direction of history were due to the fact that the victorious party could control the plank road. Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain are actually the tails of the Qinling Mountains. They are intricately connected and lie between the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River. They became the last line of defense for the Chinese when the northern barbarians invaded the North China Great Plains.They are the avant-garde of the Yangtze River. In the era of great division and the era of confrontation between the Jin and Song empires, the remnants of the dynasty that retreated to the south of the Yangtze River rely on these two mountains as a buffer.If these two mountains fall into the hands of the enemy, the important towns north of the Yangtze River, such as Xiangyang (Xiangfan, Hubei) and Hankou (the north bank of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, Hubei), will not be able to resist.The Yangtze River is a natural danger, that is, half of it will be lost. The Qilian Mountains lie between the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang and Lanzhou, the geographical center of China, stretching for 1,000 kilometers, with an average height of more than 4,000 meters.Before and after the Era, there were Huns in the north and Wu people in the south, so in the early history of China, it took on the task of isolating the combination of these two barbarians.The area in the north of the mountain where the Xiongnu lived was lush with water and grass, known as the Hexi Corridor, and it was the only rich area where the Huns Khanate could engage in agriculture.Mount Yanzhi, located in Yongchang County, Gansu Province, is one of the peaks of the Qilian Mountains. It produces high-grade cosmetic rouge; in the second century BC, the Hexi Corridor was attached to China, and the Huns sang: "Take my Yanzhi Mountain and make my women colorless. Keep me The Qilian Mountains made it difficult for me to raise my six animals." The Xiongnu Khanate declined from then on. The main vein of Yinshan Mountain lies on the north bank of the Yellow River in the shape of "Ji", that is, the north of the Hetao. It stretches for 600 kilometers and has a height of 1,000 to 2,000 meters.It is the northernmost dividing line between the Chinese nation that used to be dominated by agriculture and some nomadic peoples that were mainly nomadic.In the north of the Yin Mountain, due to the lack of rainfall and the invasion of wind and sand—almost the foot of the mountain is the vast desert group, and the primitive agricultural production technology in ancient times cannot take root.As a result, the reclamation of the Chinese was limited to the south of the Yinshan Mountains, and the only hope was that the nomads would stop here.Therefore, what the poets of the Tang Dynasty said, "Do not teach Huma to go to the Yin Mountains", has become the standard for praising the great achievements of the generals. The Kunlun Mountains are 2,000 kilometers long. The eldest son of Pamir's mother, with a height of 5,000 to 7,000 meters, gallops eastward from his mother's arms. Together with the Himalayas, it will form the roof of the world.Kunlun Mountain was not permanently included in the territory of China until the 18th century, but it is the oldest fairy mountain in Chinese mythology.It is said that there is a beautiful fairy with strong spells on the mountain, named Queen Mother. In the 22nd century BC, she gave a pack of immortality medicine to Hou Yi, the sixth king of the Xia Dynasty at that time; , Ji Man, the fifth king of the Zhou Dynasty, also drove a divine carriage from the then capital, Haojing (Xi'an, Shaanxi), and galloped 3,000 kilometers overnight to Kunlun Mountain to meet her.In order to make people sure, mythologists also affirmed that the year was 986 BC, which was the time when King David, the Hebrew king in the western world, reigned. The Himalayas are giant mountains that are covered with snow all year round.Together with the Kunlun Mountains in the north and the Daxue Mountains in the east, it forms the roof of the world, including the entire territory of the ancient Tubo Kingdom, covering an area of ​​2.3 million square kilometers.If the world is reduced to an ordinary city, this plateau is like the only giant building with a height of 50 floors, standing among the small group of houses with a maximum of 30 floors and most of them with only one or two floors.Looking down from the giant building, you can overlook every corner of the world.Mount Qomolangma, the main peak of the Himalayas, is the highest peak in the world, located between China and the Kingdom of Nepal, with an altitude of 8,848 meters—just like a 38-story iron tower standing on top of a 50-story building.The Himalayas cut off the communication between China and India. Temujin, the creator of the Mongol Empire, dared not cross because of his fear of its height.After the British conquered India in the 18th century, despite their ambitious attempt to advance northward, active military operations were difficult due to the dangerous mountain passes and thin air in the Himalayas.Although it is now the age of nuclear weapons, it is still the patron saint of China's southwest frontier. In fact, Wuling is not a whole and complete mountain range, but just five independent mountain ranges as its name suggests.From west to east, it stretches intermittently for more than 1,000 kilometers. Like a crescent moon, it is arranged in the waist of the Jiangnan area, so it is also called the Nanling Mountains.The westernmost is Yuecheng Ridge in Quanzhou County, Guangxi, the second west is Dupang Ridge in Dao County, Hunan Province, the middle is Mengzhu Ridge in Jianghua County, Hunan Province, the fourth is Qitian Ridge in Chen County, Hunan Province, and the easternmost is Dayu Mountain in Dayu County, Jiangxi Province.They are connected into a chaotic mountain system, which serves as the boundary marker between the Yangtze River Basin and the Pearl River Basin, and also serves as the biggest obstacle to the communication between China's extreme southern territory and the Yangtze River Basin.In the third century BC, the expeditionary regiment of Emperor Yingzheng of the Qin Dynasty dug a mountain pass on the Dageng Mountains, and Chinese forces began to reach the Pearl River Basin and northern Vietnam. Mountains refer to special peaks in the mountains. There are five important mountains in Chinese history, called Wuyue.In mythology, it was transformed from the head and limbs of the giant god Pangu. 一中岳嵩山位于河南省登封市，高一千四百四十米，再分为三峰：中峰峻极峰、东峰太室山、西峰少室山。少室山下有一个庞大无比的寺院，名少林寺。六世纪时，印度王子出身的高僧达摩曾经在此面对着一块石壁，静坐九年之久，以致他虽然逝世，而他的影子据说仍映在石壁之上。不过嵩山和少林寺所以闻名全国，还是由于武侠小说的宣扬，在武侠小说中，少林寺和尚们的拳击技术——中国功夫，已到了出神入化之境，称为少林派，它常代表正义的力量，跟邪恶作对。 二东岳泰山位于山东省泰安市，高一千五百二十四米。这种高度根本算不了什么，但因为四周全是平原的缘故，遂使它显得特别突出，以致被形容为“登山而小天下”。最高的峰是丈人峰，而最著名的峰是梁父山。它在中国前期历史上占有极重要的位置，古书上不断提到它，而它也自始就担任了皇家最大事件“封禅”的角色。封，祭天；禅，祭地。儒家学派的学者认为，祭祀天地必须到泰山之上，才能蒙受悦纳。于是古代帝王最高兴和最光荣的一件事、就莫过于爬上泰山，举行这个使自己飘飘然的仪式了（帝王们当然不会用御腿亲自往上爬，自有舒适的轿子把他抬上去）。这种封禅，具有极端严肃而复杂的外貌，但主要的目的只不过使帝王借此展示一下他的威风。所以仅只随从御驾前往凑热闹的人群，每次至少总有二十万人，包括政府全体高级官员、外国使节和担任警戒的武装部队。祭祀之后，还要大批地擢升，大量地赏赐，也要赦免全国囚犯，免除所经过州县的田赋。事实上每一次封禅都是一次蝗虫行动，对人民所造成的灾害比其他任何皇家典礼都大。 三西岳华山位于陕西省华阴市，高一千九百九十七米。中峰莲花峰、东峰仙人掌峰、西峰落雁峰。另有无数小峰，如云台峰、公主峰、毛女峰等，环绕着中峰，成为诗人所形容的：“诸峰罗列似儿孙”。它的险峻使人却步，九世纪时，一位以儒家学派巨子自居的古文作家韩愈于英勇地爬上了诸峰之一的苍龙岭之后，回顾来路，鸟道悬空，头昏目眩，他发现他再没有胆量下来；只有死在山上了，不禁大哭。后来还是由地方官员派人把他灌醉，用绳子从岭上层层吊下。 四北岳恒山位于山西省浑源县，高二千零一十七米。主峰天峰岭，像一只振翅欲飞的苍鹰。俯眺二十公里外的浑源县城，小如一个火柴盒，行人车马，跟蚂蚁没有分别。山中庙宇罗布，而以建于大分裂时代的悬空寺为最有名，高大的连、栋巨厦，被好像具有魔力的浆糊贴在万丈绝壁之上。据说道教八仙之一的吕洞宾曾在此弹过琴下过棋；八仙之另一仙的张果老也曾在此隐居修炼。 这个北岳恒山，是十五世纪之后才有此街头。在此之前，“恒山”一词，是指今河北省曲阳县西北的太行山脉其中一峰。直至明王朝十任帝朱祐樘才把“北岳”之名转到旧恒山西北一百公里的元岳，一四九三年还举行祭祀大典，正式认同元岳为北岳。 五南岳衡山位于湖南省衡阳市，高仅一千二百九十米，是五岳中最低的一岳。但山势绵延，盘根错结，拥有七十二个巨峰。主峰是以古代火神命名的祝融峰，另有紫盖峰、云密峰、石廪峰、天柱峰，共称南岳五峰。七十二峰中，最南的一峰名回雁峰，据说秋天时节，北雁南飞，到此为止，不再继续向南，因之成为诗人最好的诗材。衡山寺院最多，祝融峰下最古老的上封寺，是道教圣地之一。 这个南岳衡山是七世纪之后的产物。七世纪之前的南岳衡山，不在这里，而在北方六百公里外的安徽省霍山县，即现在的霍山。主峰天柱峰，高一千七百七十四米，属于大别山脉。因中国疆域向南大幅开拓的缘故，霍山很久以来就从边疆退缩到腹地，不能算作“南”岳。七世纪时，隋王朝把它的名称向南搬家六百公里，搬到现在的位置。所以中国前期历史上的南岳和衡山，都是指霍山而言。 五岳之外，我们再介绍其他几座历史上著名的山岳： 天台山位于浙江省天台县，高一千零九十八米，蜿蜒在东海之滨，形势雄伟。六世纪时，佛教高僧智(岂页)在这里创下了佛教的重要支派之一的天台宗派。一但使天台山名垂不朽的却是一件爱情故事，传说中纪元前一世纪西汉王朝时，有两位名刘晨、阮肇的青年，到五台山采集草药，遇到两位美丽的仙女启结成夫妇。半年之后，他们思念故事，仙女送他们回去。当他们回到自己的村子时，发现这世界已过了三百余年，已是纪元后三世纪晋王朝时代，子孙也传了七辈，世上再没有人认识他们了。神话学家言之确凿地说，就在二八七年（罗马帝国皇帝戴克里先在位），二人怅然的再离开乡里，重返天台山，从此再没有听到他们的消息。显然的，仙女们会预料到他们的归来，而在等待他们。 五台山位于山西省五台县，高三千零五十八米。距北面的北岳恒山，只七十公里，但被滹沱河从中隔开。五台山由五个巨峰组成，中峰称中台，向东南西北作放射状地分出四峰，称东南西北四台，而以北台最高。庙院多集中在中台之下，僧侣分为两种，一种穿青衣，即佛教普通和尚。一种穿黄衣，则是西藏喇嘛教的喇嘛。据说十七世纪时，清王朝第三任皇帝福临，因他最宠爱的一位妃子死了，伤心欲绝，曾在此出家为僧。可惜这个美丽的故事一听就知道出于不懂政治的文化人的捏造。世界上没有一个帝王，受得了僧侣的清规。 龙虎山位于江西省贵溪县，高二百五十三米。两峰对峙，一峰像龙，一峰像虎。一世纪时，道教的重要领袖之一的张道陵在这山上修炼成功，据说他家里的仆人都由鬼神服役，张道陵只要念动咒语，就能呼风唤雨，因之成为道教符篆派的始祖。十四世纪时，入主中国的蒙古皇帝册封张道陵的后裔张宗演为“天师”，从此天师遂成为世袭的职位，跟儒家学派始祖孔丘的后裔被册封为衍圣公世袭的职位一样，成为中国历史上两大奇异的，长久浪费国民纳税钱的世袭系统。 峨眉山位于四川省峨眉山市，高三千零九十九米，是中国雨量最多的地方，有时每年高达七千五百毫米。拥有最多的岩洞，都用古时的神祗或伟人的名字命名：如伏羲洞、女娲洞、鬼谷洞、雷洞。是佛教名山之一，但道教也把它当作圣地，称为虚灵洞天。寺院的雄伟和满山数不清的驯顺的猴群，构成峨眉山的特色。有趣的是，大概这个名称比较美丽的缘故——它使人想到美女的蛾眉，所以中国境内称为峨眉的山，不只此一山，至少还有下列五处：一、在福建省明溪县北，它的主峰正对着明溪县城的北门。二、在福建省泰宁县西北，形状跟四川省的峨眉山相似，只没有那么多猴子。三、在河南省郊县西北，因形态较小，所以被称为小峨眉。四、在广西崇左县东，山势高峻。五、在安徽省当涂县西南，跟东梁山隔着长江相对，纪元前六世纪时，吴楚两个王国在此大战，吴王国最大的战舰余皇号就在山下被俘而又被夺回。 黄山位于安徽省黄山市北，高一千八百四十一米。道教人士说，纪元前二十七世纪时，五帝之一的黄帝姬轩辕曾在此烧炼过仙丹。黄山拥有三十六峰，云雾弥漫，构成黄山云海奇观。神话学家说，这云海便是姬轩辕炼丹时火炉里冒出的烟雾，所以跟别的地方不同。 武当山位于湖北省丹江口市西南，高一千六百一十二米。道教重要神祗之一的玄元大帝，就在此山修炼成仙，他手下有两员大将，一是乌龟，一是蛇，都具有广大的法术，代表主人执行赏善罚恶的任务。武当山也是中国武侠小说产生剑侠的地方，在行侠仗义，搭救苦难的场合，常跟嵩山少林寺的剑侠，并肩作战。 庐山位于江西省九江市南，高一千四百七十四米，下临碧波万顷的鄱阳湖，千岩万壑，笼罩在云烟如幕之中，被诗人歌咏为：“不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。”儒家学派主流的理学学派，于十二世纪在五老峰下建立白鹿洞大学（白鹿洞书院），成为理学的大本营，为理学培养出大批门徒。庐山西北的牯岭，十九世纪之后，成为中国最有名的避暑胜地。 四沙漠·万里长城 在二十世纪初叶，五块巨大无朋的大沙漠覆盖着中国百分之六的疆土，这些被覆盖的疆土，全部变成毫无价值，有百害而无一益的死寂荒野。幸而它们只分布在北中国的万里长城之北和之西，集中于下列四个地区： 一古尔班通古特沙漠——集中准噶尔盆地 二塔克拉玛干沙漠和库姆塔格沙漠（白龙堆沙漠）一集中塔里木盆地 三鄂尔多斯沙漠——集中黄河河套 四瀚海沙漠群——集中内外蒙古 准噶尔盆地位于中国西北边陲新疆的北部，在阿尔泰山跟天山之间，成一个三角形地带，面积约二十万平方公里。它跟它上面的四万五千平方公里的古尔班通古特沙漠，在中国历史上，一直默默无闻。纪元前二世纪跟纪元后二世纪的英雄人物张骞、班超的伟大勋业，都限于天山以南的塔里木盆地，跟本区的关系很少。但到了十八世纪，一个大悲剧却在此发生，立国数百年之久的准噶尔汗国覆亡，遭受到清王朝满洲兵团灭种型的残忍屠杀。从此中国境内再没有准噶尔人，只留下这个仍保持准噶尔名称的盆地和位于中国跟哈萨克交界处一个名“准噶尔门”的要隘，供后人凭吊。 塔里木盆地位于新疆南部天山与昆仑山之间，面积约五十三万平方公里，百分之八十被三十二万平方公里的塔克拉玛干沙漠和十万平方公里的库姆塔格沙漠所掩盖。这是一个标准的闭锁形态的内陆盆地，四周全是高达四千米以上的大山，仅东北一隙跟河西走廊相通。气候干燥，(女若)羌城全年雨量只五毫米，居民一辈子都不了解什么是“大雨倾盆”和“阴雨连绵”。塔克拉玛干沙漠的面积等于一个日本，属于流沙类型，横亘在盆地中央，是最可怕的一种沙漠，维吾尔语“塔克拉玛干”，就是“进去就出不来”之意。狂风卷起的沙丘有时高达二百二十米，像巨魔一样的翻腾滚动，旅人和骆驼商队都会像蚂蚁般地被它吞食。库姆塔格沙漠面积则有英国的一半大。两大沙漠隐约相连，从东到西，长约一千三百公里，南北最广处有五百公里。当张骞到西域时，所遇到的最大威胁就是这个使人色变的障碍，但他总算绕过了它。当第七世纪，佛教高僧玄类普九死一生的沿着它的边缘前往印度，一书中所描述的那些充满妖怪的魔山和充满奇异事物的王国，大部分都在这两个大沙漠的四周。像其中的火焰山，就是指吐鲁番附近的山群，吐鲁番曾被命名为火州，气温曾高达摄氏七十五度。 可能比纪元前五世纪更早，沿着这两大沙漠的南北两侧，开辟有两条艰险的道路，像两条细丝一样，中国就靠它跟西方世界作微弱的联系。这两条道路，史学家称为丝路，并不是对此细丝一样的通道作诗意的称呼，而是商人们利用它把只有中国才有的生丝和丝制品，历经千山万沙，运到欧洲出售。 河套的鄂尔多斯沙漠，位于鄂尔多斯高原之上，是黄河以南唯一的沙漠。当中国古代最北的疆域以阴山山脉为界时，这块沙漠曾阻挠着远征军的出击行动和边防军的后勤补给。大黑暗时代时，中国北界退缩到万里长城之内，这块被遗弃在边疆之外的沙漠上的绿洲，遂成为北方强大的蒙古人和瓦拉人的牧场，不时沿着长城抄掠。明王朝那些昏庸低能的帝王将相除了怒詈他们是“套寇”外，别无他法。十七世纪后，内外蒙古相继并入中国，中国北界推进到西伯利亚的贝加尔湖畔，这块沙漠的国防意义，才归消失。 对中国影响最大的是散布在蒙古高原上的瀚海沙漠群，这个大而无当的沙漠，座落在万里长城和阴山之北，东起大兴安岭南端，西止于天山东麓，北到外蒙古中部，东西约二千公里，南北约一千公里或四百公里不等，面积大约有一百五十万平方公里，恰可容纳四个日本或四十个台湾岛。它事实上由无数独立的各有自己名称的小沙漠组成，主要包括戈壁沙漠（蒙古南部）、腾格里沙漠、巴丹吉林沙漠（皆在内蒙西部）、浑善达克沙漠（内蒙锡林郭勒盟）。间隔地带往往是平坦的岩石原野，而且生有水草。沙漠之上是宁静的。商旅们在其中只能看到魔鬼一样引诱迷途者奔驰到死的沙蜃。 沿着瀚海沙漠群南部的边缘，排列着一系列的商业城市，如赤峰、张家口、包头、集宁、呼和浩特。我们如果把瀚海沙漠群当作一个真正的大海的话，这些城市就是陆地的港口。以张家口为例，它是万里长城最大的关隘之一，有一条穿过沙漠的小道，像航线一样，北通蒙古的首府乌兰巴托。商旅必须在张家口治办行装，才能从事这个需时四十五日的商业性的沙海航程。而从乌兰巴托南来的商旅，也到张家口为止，把货物从骆驼上卸下后，交给代理店处理，即另行载货返航。塞北跟中国本部的划分，在此可看出显明的色彩。长城以南，农田相接，青葱千里。而出了张家口后，便景物全异，沙漠、骆驼、蒙古包、牛马羊群，完全是另一种天地。我们可借用诗人形容繁华和荒凉之界的诗句，说明旅人的心情：“马后桃花马前雪，教人怎能不回头。” 瀚海沙漠群和它以北地区，因气候寒冷和求生艰难，促使游牧民族无休止地企图摆脱它，渴望进入遍地桃花的长城以南世界。从上古时代起，就发生数不清次数的南下侵略战争。中国人常大惑不解地责备他们不安于自己的乡土，但如果把位置调换一下的话，恐怕也免不了会有同样的行动。所以中国的外患，百分之九十五来自北方。 沙漠本身的不断南移，也带给中国很大的灾害。一世纪时，闻名西域的楼兰王国，还是一个水草茂盛的乐土。可是不知道什么时候，竟被库姆塔格沙漠吞没。充满成质的罗布泊畔，只剩下它的故国残址。河西走廊在十九世纪末期，沙漠的威胁还很小。但二十世纪初叶，沙漠几乎抵达酒泉城下。酒泉古城西门上题有“西被流沙”的匾额，正是在沙漠侵蚀下人们心情沉重的呼喊。 来自北方无休止的长期侵略，迫使中国建筑万里长城。 万里长城是中华人抵抗沙漠游牧民族最艰苦和最伟大的军事防御工程。纪元前八世纪起，瀚海沙漠群上，陆续崛起山戎、北狄、东胡等强大部落，他们的武士骑在马背上，来去如风，使周王朝一些位于北疆用拙笨车辆作战斗工具的封国，大为狼狈，只好分别沿着各自的国界，修筑长城。从燕山山脉西端到辽东半岛，有燕王国长城；从燕山山脉西端到河套，有赵王国长城；从河套到陇西高原，有秦王国长城。纪元前三世纪时，匈奴汗国统一了瀚海沙漠群，秦王朝也统一了中国，为了抵御新兴的匈奴南侵，秦王朝把各封国的长城连接起来，成为中国第一个完整的防线。 这个长城矗立在中国北疆一千余年。十世纪时，辽帝国乘中国小分裂时代，取得包括今北京在内的十六个州，进入长城之内，长城遂丧失作用。接着金帝国和蒙古帝国兴起，塞北是他们的本土，万里长城正位于他们的腹地，六百年间没有人关心它，甚至还嫌恶名妨碍交通，遂终于隳废。 一直到十五世纪，汉人建立的明王朝把蒙古人逐回他们的老家瀚海沙漠群，他们在沙漠上几乎立刻就恢复祖先遗留下来的传统习惯，再度不断地向他们曾经控制过的中国抄掠。明王朝没有力量把他们逐向更北，只好再度乞灵于长城，重加修筑，东起渤海湾的山海关，西到河西走廊西端的嘉峪关，也就是现代我们所看到的万里长城。万里，是增强性的形容词，事实上只有二千三百公里，但仍然是有史以来人类建筑的最长的巨城。从前人们曾经臆测，在月球上回望地球，人造工程中，只能看到万里长城。二十世纪人类真的登陆月球，发现并看不到它，但这并不影响它的伟大。它像一条神龙一样，随着山势，蜿蜒盘旋，在峰头岭巅，奔腾飞驰，构成世界上苍凉的壮观。每隔一段距离，即有一个碉堡，上面设立烽火台。遇到军事情况，白天燃起狼烟（古中华人认为用狼粪燃烧的烟有凝聚力，可作直线上升，其他的烟，遇风即散），夜间则燃起火光。像无线电一样，能把警报迅速地传到边防军司令部。 十七世纪中叶，明王朝覆亡，代替他的是来自北方的满洲人建立的清王朝，将内外蒙古并入版图，这是中国疆域最大的一次扩张。万里长城再度位于腹地，也再度丧失它的国防价值。但它的历史意义和文化意义，仍然如昔，它象征中国人忍辱负重，永不屈服的精神。