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So when they left the sheltering walls of Dunhuang(敦煌), heading for the desert that local people referred to as "go in and you will not come out". They knew they had a little extra spiritual protection on their side. And this is where they finally left the protection of the wall and faced the dangers of the unknown.
The Jade Gate(玉门关) at the end of the wall is famous for the poem that says of this lonely spot: The Yellow River runs up to the white sky; a lonely tower stands in a thousand mountains; spring never reaches the Jade Gate.
The Great Wall was the start of a wonderful chain reaction for the Han Dynasty. The wall protected the caravans of the Silk Road. The caravans increased and prospered, and the Han grew wealthy and extended their territories to the north and west of the Great Wall itself.
Tired at lapping at the base of a wall they couldn't breach, the nomads thundered west and conquered Central Asia and Eastern Europe, threatening the other great power of the ancient world, Rome.
When Attila the Hun(匈奴王阿提拉), the Scourge of God(上帝之鞭), marched on Rome, he was so feared that Pope Leo(教皇里奥) went outside the gates to plead with Attila to spare the holy city. The meeting of pagan and pope never would have taken place without the Great Wall of China. Legend says that Attila, highly superstitious, retreated because the Pope's name meant the lion. But it was just a short reprieve for Rome. A later fatal invasion finally brought Rome to its knees, plunging Europe into five centuries of Dark Ages.
While Europe suffered, China was entering its golden age, the Tang Dynasty, the richest and most powerful rulers in Chinese history. Scattered throughout the countryside are spirit guardians, protecting the tombs of China's most golden age. One of the few royal tombs excavated is that of Princess Yongtai(永泰公主), the daughter of an emperor. It reflects the luxurious life these internationally-minded aristocrats led, with their fashions imported down the Silk Road and their games of Polo.
凉州词
王之涣
黄河远上白云间，
一片孤城万仞山。
羌笛何须怨杨柳，
春风不度玉门关。
lap: wrap or wind around (something); encircle
thunder: move fast, noisily, and heavily
reprieve: temporary relief, as from danger or pain
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