winds its way through the countryside of China

綿延於中國鄉野之間

with a history almost as long and serpentine as the structure.

它的歷史幾乎與 蜿蜒的結構一樣長遠

The Great Wall began as multiple walls of rammed earth

長城一開始是好幾座夯土城牆

built by individual feudal states during the Chunqiu period

在春秋時代由各個諸侯國修建

to protect against nomadic raiders north of China and each other.

以抵禦賽北的遊牧民族 並互相防衛

When Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the states in 221 BCE,

秦始皇於西元前 221 年 一統天下後

the Tibetan Plateau and Pacific Ocean became natural barriers,

青藏高原及太平洋 成為國家的天然屏障

but the mountains in the north remained vulnerable

但北方的山嶺仍難防守

to Mongol, Turkish, and Xiongnu invasions.

很容易受蒙古、土耳其 及匈奴的攻擊

To defend against them,

為了抵禦胡人

the Emperor expanded the small walls built by his predecessors,

秦始皇將前任君王 修築的小面城牆

connecting some and fortifying others.

加固結構並連接起來

As the structures grew from Lintao in the west

因為此建築物從西邊的臨洮

to Liaodong in the east,

延伸至東邊的遼東

they collectively became known as The Long Wall.

這些城牆被統稱為「長城」

To accomplish this task,

為了完成這項任務

the Emperor enlisted soldiers and commoners,

秦始皇徵募士兵及平民

not always voluntarily.

但他們並非全部都出於自願

Of the hundreds of thousands of builders recorded during the Qin Dynasty,

秦朝有案可考的數十萬工人中

many were forcibly conscripted peasants

很多是被強迫徵召的農民

and others were criminals serving out sentences.

其他則是服刑的犯人

Under the Han Dynasty, the wall grew longer still,

漢朝時代，此牆愈建愈長

reaching 3700 miles,

達到 5955 公里

and spanning from Dunhuang to the Bohai Sea.

自敦煌橫跨至渤海

Forced labor continued under the Han Emperor Han-Wudi ,

強迫勞動持續至漢武帝

and the walls reputation grew into a notorious place of suffering.

長城變為惡名昭彰的苦難之地

Poems and legends of the time told of laborers buried

當時的詩歌和傳說敘述著

in nearby mass graves,

工人被埋入附近的萬人塚

or even within the wall itself.

甚至是牆內的故事

And while no human remains have been found inside,

雖然牆內並未發現人類遺骸

grave pits do indicate that many workers died

墓穴的確顯示許多工人

from accidents, hunger and exhaustion.

死於意外、飢餓及衰竭

The wall was formidable but not invincible.

這座牆的確令人生畏 卻非天下無敵

Both Genghis and his son Khublai Khan managed to surmount the wall

成吉思汗及其子忽必烈

during the Mongol invasion of the 13th Century.

於 13 世紀蒙古入侵時 都曾攻克牆頂

After the Ming dynasty gained control in 1368,

明朝於 1368 年掌權後

they began to refortify and further consolidate the wall

開始再加強防禦工事 進一步鞏固牆身

using bricks and stones from local kilns.

使用在地火窯製造的 磚頭與石塊

Averaging 23 feet high and 21 feet wide,

平均 7 公尺高 6.5 公尺寬

the walls 5500 miles were punctuated by watchtowers.

8851 公里的長城 間隔設置烽火台

When raiders were sighted,

一旦看到侵略者

fire and smoke signals traveled between towers

升起的烽火及狼煙 就在台間傳遞訊息

until reinforcements arrived.

直到援兵抵達

Small openings along the wall let archers fire on invaders,

牆面上還有小的開口 讓弓箭手射擊入侵者

while larger ones were used to drop stones and more.

大的開口則拿來 丟擲石頭及其他東西

But even this new and improved wall was not enough.

但是這面改良過的新牆還是不夠好

In 1644, northern Manchu clans overthrew the Ming

1644 年北方的滿族 推翻明朝

to establish the Qing dynasty,

建立清朝

incorporating Mongolia as well,

也合併蒙古

Thus, for the second time,

因此這是第二度

China was ruled by the very people the wall had tried to keep out.

中國受原本想以牆抵禦的 外族統治

With the empire's borders now extending beyond the Great Wall,

隨著帝國的疆界擴張到長城以外

the fortifications lost their purpose.

築牆防禦失去了原本的目的

And without regular reinforcement, the wall fell into disrepair,

沒有定期加固的長城 失修荒廢

rammed earth eroded,

夯土受到侵蝕

while brick and stone were plundered for building materials.

磚頭及石塊則被盜竊 當建築材料

But its job wasn't finished.

但是它的工作還沒結束

During World War II,

二次世界大戰時

China used sections for defense against Japanese invasion,

中國用部分牆面抵禦日本攻擊

and some parts are still rumored to be used for military training.

外界仍盛傳長城某些地方 現在還拿來做軍事訓練

But the Wall's main purpose today is cultural.

但是今天 長城的主要目的是文化

As one of the largest man-made structures on Earth,

長城為地球上大型人造結構之一

it was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1987.

1987 年聯合國教科文組織 將其列為世界文化遺產

Originally built to keep people out of China,

原本修築以排拒外人進入中國

the Great Wall now welcomes millions of visitors each year.

長城現在每年要歡迎 數百萬的旅客

In fact, the influx of tourists has caused the wall to deteriorate,

事實上，湧入的遊客造成長城損壞

leading the Chinese government to launch preservation initiatives.

致使中國政府啟動保護措施

It's also often acclaimed as the only man-made structure visible from space.

它也常常被譽為 唯一可自太空看見的人造結構

Unfortunately, that's not at all true.

可惜，這說法不對

In low Earth orbit, all sorts of structures,

在低軌道上，各種建築物

like bridges, highways and airports are visible,

如橋梁、高速公路 及機場都為可見

and the Great Wall is only barely discernible.

長城僅為隱約可辨識

>From the moon, it doesn't stand a chance.

從月球看 則一點都看不到

But regardless, it's the Earth we should be studying it from

但無論如何，地球才是 我們應該好好研究長城的地方

because new sections are still discovered every few years,

因為每隔幾年就會發現新的片段

branching off from the main body

從主體向外伸展

and expanding this remarkable monument to human achievement.

擴展這座非凡的歷史遺跡 成為人類偉大成就