The Great Wall 万里长城 - 6

It is a staggering 2,700 miles longer than the first Great Wall of the Emperor Qin. There is no wood, water or stone in the desert. But the Han managed to build a wall that has resisted 2,000 years of erosion. You can still see the layers constructed with only local materials, layers of compressed sand, twigs¹, bark, tamarisk and horse manure². The wall has withstood conditions that alternated between torrid heat for half the year and freezing winds for the rest. Building this wall in the middle of the barren desert was only half the task. It had to be manned. Soldiers were constantly told to be vigilant³ and not to move an inch from their posts. This was particularly true of those manning these towers, built miles in front of the actual wall. Despite millions of soldiers in the army, the wall was so long they didn't have enough men to post a sentry⁴ every few yards, so plenty of advance warning from these towers was crucial.

Using smoke signals, the Chinese evolved a highly sophisticated and successful signaling system. A beacon⁵ lit here in the Gobi can pass its message some 700 miles in only 24 hours, alerting the entire frontier to the danger.

"Chariots and horsemen are directed to keep on guard and the men at the watchtowers to keep a sharp lookout⁶ for fire signals and keep the border clear." says a Han military document. Each beacon was constructed within clear view of its nearest neighbor so that fire signals at night or smoke in the day could be seen and the message passed on. And this was their most precious commodity in the barren desert. It is firewood, used to light the ancient signal fires. It's still here where it was abandoned some 2,000 years ago. We know so much about these ancient lives because the dry Gobi Desert has preserved their letters, buried next to the watchtowers where they lived and often died.

Dear all, in this far-off labor⁷ camp, I miss clear grounds in the middle of the sands.

This is no camp. It's like a tomb. And I miss you so much.

Last week, I received a punishment.

I can't express properly (coldest . . .) my gratitude⁸ toward you, dear elder brother.

Do you remember that night? (Dear old parents) We drank so much.

Thanks for the food and medicine you sent to me. Words can't translate what my heart feels for you. There is only something for you…
Today, we made 150 bricks . . .
We all look like slaves.

The moon is shining through a sea of clouds. When we are on guard, all we can see is this desolate⁹ landscape, devoid¹⁰ of any sign of life. The memory of our home become so painful. Our exile seems as though it will never end.

torrid: scorching; burning

man: supply with men, as for defense or service

devoid of: completely wanting or lacking

1 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

2 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

3 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

4 sentry   

n.哨兵，警卫

参考例句：

• They often stood sentry on snowy nights.他们常常在雪夜放哨。
• The sentry challenged anyone approaching the tent.哨兵查问任一接近帐篷的人。

5 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

6 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

9 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

10 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。