中国长城现在的状况如何？它还能有效地阻止入侵者或阻止入侵的发生吗？

What is the Great Wall of China's current status? Is it still effective in keeping out invaders or stopping invasions from happening?
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Aya Shawn
Living in Singapore, professional investorDec 17
This map shows the exact location of the extant Great Wall in China
Many Westerners believe that the Great Wall, located on China's border, served as a defense by separating the nomadic peoples of the north from China.
But they overlooked one thing: China's territory is not static.
The last large-scale construction of the Great Wall in Chinese history was 500 years ago, during the Ming Empire. A large part of the Great Wall left in China was built during this period.
Therefore, the Great Wall can only reflect the northern border of China during the Ming Empire.
After the collapse of the Ming Empire, the Qing Empire was established. They have strong military strength, and they have pushed China's territory hundreds of kilometers northward, with the farthest point exceeding 1,000 kilometers. Since the establishment of the Qing Empire 300 years ago, the Great Wall has been located in the hinterland of China and no longer plays a military defense role.

这张地图显示了中国现存长城的确切位置
许多西方人认为，位于中国边境的长城起到了防御作用，将北方游牧民族与中国分开。
但他们忽略了一件事：中国的领土并不是一成不变的。
中国历史上最后一次大规模修建长城是在500年前的明朝时期。中国现存的长城很大一部分就是在这个时期修建的。
因此，长城只能反映明朝时期中国的北部边界。
明帝国灭亡后，清帝国建立。他们军事实力强大，将中国领土向北推进了数百公里，最远的地方超过了1000公里。大清帝国建立300年来，长城一直位于中国腹地，不再发挥军事防御作用。


The territory of modern China was inherited from the Qing Empire, so we will see the map above.
How can a city wall located in the hinterland of China play a military role?
Although modern China has continued to repair and protect the Great Wall, its only remaining role is as a cultural heritage and tourist attraction.
As the largest and longest structure built by human civilization, the Great Wall has great historical significance. Perhaps long after the demise of mankind, the Great Wall will still be the first human architectural relic found by alien civilization.

现代中国的领土是从清帝国继承下来的，所以我们会看到上面的地图。
一座地处中国腹地的城墙如何发挥军事作用？
尽管现代中国不断修复和保护长城，但它唯一剩下的作用就是作为文化遗产和旅游景点。
长城作为人类文明建造的最大、最长的建筑，具有重大的历史意义。或许在人类灭亡很久之后，长城仍将是外星文明发现的第一座人类建筑遗迹。

What was the purpose of building the Great Wall of China, as invaders could easily climb over it?

既然侵略者可以轻而易举地翻越长城，那么修建长城的目的是什么？

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Aya Shawn
Living in Singapore, professional investorDec 15
The Great Wall actually has many functions.
When the questioner talked about "the invasion of invaders," he was actually just focusing on a certain function of the Great Wall.
1. Military function
This is what most people know about the Great Wall. In ancient times, it isolated the nomads in the cold zone and prevented their cavalry from entering China. Soldiers defended themselves on the Great Wall and killed those enemies who tried to get close to the Great Wall.
No problem, this is indeed one of the functions of the Great Wall. But this function is not always effective. The Great Wall is too long and requires countless soldiers and troops to garrison it. In some remote sections, it is entirely possible for stowaways or small groups to cross it. This is especially true when the empire declines and the army lacks personnel.

长城其实有很多功能。
当提问者谈到“侵略者的入侵”时，他其实只是关注长城的某个功能。
1. 军事职能
这就是大多数人对长城的了解。在古代，它隔离了寒冷地带的游牧民族，阻止他们的骑兵进入中国。士兵们在长城上保卫自己，杀死那些试图接近长城的敌人。
没问题，这确实是长城的功能之一。但这个功能并不总是有效。长城太长，需要无数的士兵和军队驻守。在一些偏远地段，偷渡者或小团体完全有可能穿越。尤其是在帝国衰落、军队缺兵的时候更是如此。

But if you look at these Great Walls on the top of the mountain, do they need to be defended in such places?
In any case, in some areas where a large number of troops can be deployed, the defensive capabilities of the Great Wall are effective. In fact, those important passes on the Great Wall have never been defeated militarily.
But if you look at these Great Walls on the top of the mountain, do they need to be defended in such places?

无论如何，在一些可以部署大量兵力的地区，长城的防御能力是有效的。事实上，长城上的那些重要关口从未在军事上被攻破过。
但你看看那些在山顶绵延的长城，在这种地方还需要防守吗？

2. Traffic function
In ancient times without highways and railways, it was dangerous for people to travel through forests and deserts. The Great Wall is actually a long road. Not only does it have a flat surface, but it also has stairs that are easier to climb. There will also be houses and fortresses at each distance, as well as warehouses and inns. The ancient Chinese and their troops walked along the Great Wall, just like we drive today and follow the highway. They can go faster, safer, and constantly visit various rest stops and replenishment points.
Therefore, the Great Wall was a very important transportation facility in ancient China and also an ancient highway.

2、交通功能
在没有公路和铁路的古代，人们穿越森林和沙漠是危险的。长城其实是一条很长的路。它不仅有平坦的表面，而且还有更容易攀爬的楼梯。每个距离还会有房屋和堡垒，以及仓库和旅馆。古代中国人和他们的军队沿着长城行走，就像我们今天开车沿着高速公路一样。他们可以走得更快、更安全，并不断拜访各个休息站和补给点。
因此，长城是中国古代非常重要的交通设施，也是古代的公路。

3. Border and trade control
Because of the existence of the Great Wall, it is difficult for grassland peoples to enter China at will, and it is also difficult for Chinese people to enter the grasslands at will. Just like the border wall between the United States and Mexico, although they will use various means to sneak across, this greatly increases the difficulty.
The existence of the Great Wall isolated people from both sides and controlled trade. All imports and exports must be carried out at designated checkpoints, and the government can control the content of transactions and collect taxes. The Great Wall was actually the customs house in northern China in ancient times.
Chinese history records that the Ming Empire spent more than a hundred years building the Great Wall and consumed a lot of money, but it was basically compensated by the trade tariffs set on the Great Wall. It can be seen that the economic benefits brought by the Great Wall are huge.

3. 边境和贸易管制
因为长城的存在，草原民族很难随意进入中国，中国人也很难随意进入草原。就像美国和墨西哥之间的边境墙一样，虽然他们会使用各种手段来偷渡，但这却大大增加了难度。
长城的存在隔离了双方的人民并控制了贸易。所有进出口都必须在指定检查站进行，政府可以控制交易内容并征税。长城实际上是古代中国北方的海关。
中国历史记载，明帝国花了一百多年的时间修筑长城，消耗了大量的金钱，但基本上都是靠在长城上设定的贸易关税来补偿的。可见长城带来的经济效益是巨大的。