Great Wall Culture
Beautiful stories and legends about the Great Wall help to keep alive Chinese history and culture. In each dynasty after the building of the Great Wall, many more stories were created and spread.
Lots of beautiful legends and stories about the Great Wall took place following along the construction, and since that time these stories have spread around the country. Those that happened during construction are abundant, such as Meng Jiangnu's story and the legend of the Jiayuguan Pass.
The Legend of Mengjiangnü
This is a legend about love and devotion. It tells the story of Meng Jiangnü and her anguish after her husband died building the wall. It is said that her bitter weeping caused a section of the wall to collapse. read the story
"Metal Soup" Great Wall
This story tells of the construction of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall. The great general who masterminded this section was beheaded wrongly for his high expenditures, but later redeemed and honored. read the story
Xifeng Kou /Happy Meeting Mouth A story of love between father and son and their reunion at Xifengkou.
read the story
China Great Wall Society
Founded in June 1987 under the leadership of the State Cultural Relics Bureau, China Great Wall Society is a top-level NGO specialized in studying, publicizing, protecting and exploring the Great Wall. China Great Wall Society was granted the Special consultative status by the Economic and Social Council of United Nations and is the member of CONGO (Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations) in July, 2007.
The goal of the Society is to let the Great Wall go to the world, and preserve the ancient Wall for later generations. The tenet of the Society is to devote he study and publicizing of the Great Wall to promote its exploration and protection. Its task is to foster traditional Chinese cultures, carry forward the Great Wall spirit, bring into full play its functions as a bridge between the government and society, and mobilize all social forces available to protect the Great Wall.
Initiated by the veteran revolutionary Huang Hua and scholars such as Hou Renzhi, the Society is now led by its Chairman XU Jialu, Vice—chairman of the National People's Congress.
A brief introduction of the society
The Society has organized scores of symposiums in Beijing, Hongkong, Shanhaiguan Pass, Jiayuguan Pass, and Yulin, and used the modern aerial remote sensing technology in the overall scientific investigation of the Great Wall in Beijing and Ningxia areas. The successful results have filled in the gaps in the Great Wall studies. The Society also edited and published Encyclopedia of the Great Wall, A collection of Papers from International Symposiums on the Great Wall, Inspections of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, Ten-Thousand –Li Inspection of the Great Wall, Collected Papers from the first Symposium on the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan Pass, Collected Papers of the Seminar on history and Culture of the Great Wall, Hong Kong, China, thus greatly promoting the study and exchange of views on the Great Wall. From August 3th to September17th, 2002, the Society organized a ten—thousand—Li inspection of the Great Wall, which provided a basis for the state to formulate a Great Wall protection law.
Under the publicizing principle of "being firmly rooted in China and oriented to the public; using science and technology and moving people's hearts," the Society has taken an active part in the production of many TV films including the 37—part the Great Wall, 16—part Local Customs of the Great Wall,56—part Ethnic Minorities in China, 12—part Along the Great Wall, among which, along the Great Wall, jointly produced with the CCTV, Japanese TBS film company, and Tokyo Broadcast Company, was the most influential and best commented in and outside China, its copies spreading around the world. The Society also issued the commemorative envelops of One Hundred Passes of the Great Wall (108 envelops in five groups) to enhance people’s awareness to protect the Great Wall.
The Society also organized theatrical performance "The Soul of the Nation" and "Ode to the Great Wall". The latter was performed by a large symphony orchestra, an active contribution to the development of serious music. The photo and painting exhibitions on the Great Wall held by the Society also had a wide social influence.
