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The Great Wall (Chinaculture.org) Updated: 2006-04-11 12:28
It is said that 2,000 years ago, during the Wall's construction, a young man
called Fan Xiliang was forced to work on the massive project -- even on his
wedding day. Before Fan went away, his bride, a girl named Meng Jiangnu, broke
her white jade hairpin in two, giving her husband half as a token of her love.
Meng waited for her husband for five years without a word from him. One night,
Meng had a bad dream: she dreamed that her husband was yelling, "Cold, cold!"
Remembering that Fan went away wearing very thin clothes, Meng made some padded
clothing and set off alone to look for him. After crossing many mountains and
rivers on foot, Meng finally reached the construction site of the Great Wall
where she was told her husband had died and was buried under the Great Wall.
Hearing this, Meng sat at the foot of the Great Wall and started crying. She
cried day and night and her wailing finally made the wall come down, revealing
her husband's bones. This made Qin Shihuang very angry, and he ordered Meng to
be punished. But when he saw the young lady he was struck by her beauty and
asked her to marry him. Having no choice in the matter, Meng agreed under the
condition that her Fan could get a proper burial. After the funeral, when Meng
and the emperor went on a trip on the Bohai Sea, Meng realized that she simply
could not marry the tyrant who had killed her beloved husband. Unseen by the
guards Meng jumped into the sea. Today on the shores of the Bohai Sea, beyond
the Shanhaiguan Pass, are two black, rocky reefs. According to legend, the round
reef is Meng's tomb and the square one is the tablet. Not far from her tomb, a
temple was erected on a small hill to commemorate the lady of chastity. Visitors
to Shanhaiguan Pass should not miss the chance to see her "tomb" and
temple.
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