#230 - Ming 19: A Futile & Stupid Barrier
The History of China
00:00
The Great Wall
The great wall can only be seen as a tacit admission of an empire shoved back on its heels and facing a slow but steady decline. It proved to be a feudile military gesture, but vividly expressed china's siege mentality. The century and a half to come would serve to demonstrate that an empire in decline invites enemies, even those once cowed and servile, to start looking for weak points yet again. And where better to start than by no iagainst a vast, indefensible, immobile wall.
Play episode from 41:02
Transcript
