What makes the Great Wall of China so extraordinary - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen

Prevodilac: Milica Dragićević Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

A 13,000 mile dragon of earth and stone

Napravljen od kamena i zemlje, zmaj dug 21 000 km

winds its way through the countryside of China

vijuga kroz kineska sela,

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

sa istorijom koja je gotovo jednako duga i složena kao i njegova struktura,

The Great Wall began as multiple walls of rammed earth

Kineski zid je započeo kao više zidova od nabijene zemlje

built by individual feudal states during the Chunqiu period

koje su izgradile feudalne države tokom Perioda proleća i jeseni

da se zaštite od nomadskih napadača sa severa Kine, kao i jedni od drugih.

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

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

Kad je car Ćin Ši Huang ujedinio države 221. godine pre n.e.

the Tibetan Plateau and Pacific Ocean became natural barriers,

Tibetanska visoravan i Tihi okean postali su prirodne prepreke,

but the mountains in the north remained vulnerable

ali planine na severu ostale su podložne napadu

to Mongol, Turkish, and Xiongnu invasions.

Mongola, Turaka i plemena Hsiung-nu.

To defend against them,

Da bi se od njih odbranili,

car je proširio male zidove koje su sagradili njegovi prethodnici,

the Emperor expanded the small walls built by his predecessors,

connecting some and fortifying others.

pri čemu je neke spojio, a ostale ojačao.

As the structures grew from Lintao in the west

Kako se građevina širila od Lintaoao na zapadu

to Liaodong in the east,

do Liaodonga na istoku,

they collectively became known as The Long Wall.

svi zidovi dobili su zajednički naziv Dugi zid.

To accomplish this task,

Da bi ispunio ovaj zadatak,

the Emperor enlisted soldiers and commoners,

car je regrutovao vojnike i građane,

not always voluntarily.

i to ne uvek dobrovoljno.

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

Od stotina hiljada graditelja zabeleženih tokom dinastije Ćin,

many were forcibly conscripted peasants

mnogi su bili prisilno dovedeni seljaci,

and others were criminals serving out sentences.

dok su ostali bili prestupnici na izdržavanju kazne.

Under the Han Dynasty, the wall grew longer still,

Tokom dinastije Han, zid se i dalje produžavao,

reaching 3700 miles,

dostigavši dužinu od 6 000 km.

and spanning from Dunhuang to the Bohai Sea.

Prostirao se od Dunhuanga do Bohajskog mora.

Forced labor continued under the Han Emperor Han-Wudi ,

Prisilni rad se nastavio za vreme cara Vua od Hana

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

i zid je stekao reputaciju ozloglašenog mesta stradanja.

Poems and legends of the time told of laborers buried

Poeme i legende tog vremena govorile su o radnicima koji su sahranjivani

in nearby mass graves,

u obližnjim masovnim grobnicama,

or even within the wall itself.

pa čak i u samom zidu.

And while no human remains have been found inside,

Iako unutra ljudski ostaci nisu pronađeni,

grave pits do indicate that many workers died

grobne jame zaista ukazuju na to da je mnogo radnika umrlo

from accidents, hunger and exhaustion.

zbog nezgoda, gladi i iscrpljenosti.

The wall was formidable but not invincible.

Zid je bio impresivan, ali ne i neuništiv.

Džingis-kan, kao i njegov sin Kublaj-kan, uspeli su da pređu preko zida

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

during the Mongol invasion of the 13th Century.

za vreme invazije Mongola u 13. veku.

After the Ming dynasty gained control in 1368,

Nakon što je dinastija Ming preuzela kontrolu 1368. godine,

they began to refortify and further consolidate the wall

počeli su iznova da ojačavaju i još više učvršćuju zid

using bricks and stones from local kilns.

pomoću cigala i kamenja iz obližnjih sušara,

Averaging 23 feet high and 21 feet wide,

Sa prosečnom visinom od oko 7 m i širinom od oko 6,4 m,

the walls 5500 miles were punctuated by watchtowers.

8 850 kilometara zida isprekidano je osmatračnicama.

When raiders were sighted,

Kad bi opazili napadače,

fire and smoke signals traveled between towers

vatreni i dimni signali palili bi se od kule do kule

until reinforcements arrived.

dok pojačanje ne bi stiglo.

Small openings along the wall let archers fire on invaders,

Mali otvori duž zida su omogućavali da strelci ispaljuju strele na napadače,

while larger ones were used to drop stones and more.

dok su veći otvori služili za bacanje kamenja i još ponečeg.

Ipak, čak i ovaj novi ojačan zid nije bio dovoljan.

But even this new and improved wall was not enough.

In 1644, northern Manchu clans overthrew the Ming

Godine 1644, klanovi severnih Mandžuraca s vlasti su svrgnuli dinastiju Ming

to establish the Qing dynasty,

da bi postavili dinastiju Ćing,

incorporating Mongolia as well,

pripojivši i Mongoliju.

Thus, for the second time,

Tako su, po drugi put,

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

Kinom vladali isti oni koje je zid trebalo da zaustavi.

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

Kako su se granice carstva proširile izvan Kineskog zida,

the fortifications lost their purpose.

utvrđenja više nisu imala svrhu.

And without regular reinforcement, the wall fell into disrepair,

Bez redovnog ojačavanja, zid je oronuo,

rammed earth eroded,

nabijena zemlja je erodirala,

while brick and stone were plundered for building materials.

a cigla i kamen su ukradeni da bi se koristili u građevinske svrhe.

But its job wasn't finished.

Međutim, nije završio svoj posao.

During World War II,

Tokom Drugog svetskog rata,

China used sections for defense against Japanese invasion,

Kina je koristila delove zida da bi se odbranila od invazije Japana,

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

a i sad se priča da se neki odeljci zida koriste za vojnu obuku.

But the Wall's main purpose today is cultural.

Danas je glavna funkcija zida kulturološka.

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

Kao jedna od najvećih građevina na svetu koje je napravio čovek,

it was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1987.

proglašen je 1987. godine svetskom baštinom Uneska.

Originally built to keep people out of China,

Prvobitno izgrađen da bi sprečio ljude da uđu u Kinu,

the Great Wall now welcomes millions of visitors each year.

danas svake godine Kineski zid posete milioni turista.

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

Zapravo, zbog tolikog priliva turista, zid je počeo da propada,

leading the Chinese government to launch preservation initiatives.

što je navelo vladu Kine da pokrene inicijative za očuvanje zida.

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

Takođe ga često veličaju

kao jedinu tvorevinu ljudi koja se vidi iz svemira.

Unfortunately, that's not at all true.

Nažalost, to je sasvim netačno.

In low Earth orbit, all sorts of structures,

U niskoj Zemljinoj orbiti, vide se razne građevine

like bridges, highways and airports are visible,

kao što su mostovi, auto-putevi i aerodromi,

and the Great Wall is only barely discernible.

a Kineski zid jedva da se nazire.

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

Nema šanse da se može videti s Meseca.

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

Bez obzira na to, treba da ga istražujemo sa Zemlje,

because new sections are still discovered every few years,

jer se i dalje otkrivaju novi odeljci zida svakih nekoliko godina,

branching off from the main body

granajući se od glavnog dela

and expanding this remarkable monument to human achievement.

i uvećavaju ovaj neverovatni spomen dostignuću čoveka.