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0An epic bulwark
长城，人类壮举
One of the largest construction projects in the history of mankind, the Great Wall is the epitome of ancient Chinese wisdom and perseverance. It was an awe-inspiring defense strategy that spanned dynasties and remains an eloquent testimony to the edifice of Chinese civilization.
作为人类历史上最大的建筑工程之一，长城代表了古代中国人的智慧和勤劳。这一防御战略令人叹为观止，历经数个朝代，仍是中国文化文明宝藏的明鉴。
The earliest sections of the Great Wall were built by the ancient Chinese people to keep invaders at bay. After the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), the first emperor of China, Qinshihuang, wiped out six states and established the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). He ordered consolidation and extension of the Great Wall to protect his territory from his archenemy, the Xiongnu in the north. In the 2,000 years that followed, and until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this effective military master plan was applied by rulers of different ethnicities.
中国古人最早修筑长城是为了抵御外敌。在战国时期（公元前475年-221年）后，中国第一位皇帝秦始皇灭六国建立秦朝（公元前221年-206年），他下令加固并延伸长城，以抵御大敌——北方匈奴的入侵。在此后的两千年间，一直到明朝（1368年-1644年），这一行之有效的军事总规划被不同民族的中国统治者所运用。
From Northeast China's Liaoning province to swathes of arid land in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, from Central China's Henan province to the border between China and Mongolia in the north, the incredible fortifications ran through rugged mountains, vast grasslands and remote deserts. In 1987, the Great Wall was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More recently, a nationwide survey of different sections of the Great Wall found that its total length of 21,196.18 kilometers surpassed the distance between the Earth's two poles.
从东北辽宁省到西北新疆维吾尔自治区广袤的旱地，从中原地区河南省到北部中国与蒙古交接的边陲地带，长城这一防御工事途径崎岖的高山、广阔的草地和偏远的荒漠。1987年，长城被联合国教科文组织列入《世界遗产名录》，此后，一项全国范围对于长城各个段落的普查发现其总长度为21196.18千米，超过了地球南北极之间的距离。
Among the 15 provincial-level administrative regions through which the Great Wall runs, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region boasts the most extensive fortifications, adding up to 7,570 kilometers across 80 banners and counties. Construction of the bulwark in Inner Mongolia spanned more than 2,000 years, beginning during the Warring States Period, continuing through the Qin, Han (206 BC-AD 220), Liao (916-1125) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties, and ending with the Ming Dynasty.
长城跨越15个省市自治区，其中内蒙古是我国古代长城遗址保存最多、里程最长的地区，共7570千米，遍布80个旗和县。内蒙古自治区有2000多年修建长城的历史，始于战国时期，历经秦、汉（公元前206年-公元220年）、辽（916年-1125年）、金（1115年-1234年），终于明代。
Based on the lengthy time frame, the Great Wall in the autonomous region is divided into 12 types. The most well-known section was built during the Ming Dynasty. It enters Inner Mongolia's Xinghe county from Hebei province and winds its way westward for over 860 km, across cities of Ulaanqab, Hohhot, Ordos and Wuhai, and Alshaa League.
基于其各朝代的修建历史，内蒙古自治区的长城分为12类，其中明长城最为著名，从河北省进入内蒙古兴和县，向西蜿蜒860余公里，途径乌兰察布市、呼和浩特市、鄂尔多斯市、乌海市以及阿拉善盟。
The earliest section of the Great Wall in the region was built in the 4th century BC by the king of the state of Zhao. "The Great Wall of Zhao was a military installation to defend the agricultural state from nomadic powers in the north," says Zhang Wenping, deputy director of Inner Mongolia Museum. Such coexistence of agrarian dynasties and nomadic powers lasted for more than 2,000 years, Zhang says.
内蒙古自治区长城最早由赵国国王建于公元前4世纪。“赵长城是为抵御北方游牧势力入侵农业国家所修建的军事设施，”内蒙古博物院副院长张文平表示。“这种农耕王朝与游牧势力共存的局面持续了2000多年，”张文平表示。
