Reddit Reddit reviews The Great Wall of China (Canto original series)

We found 2 Reddit comments about The Great Wall of China (Canto original series). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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The Great Wall of China (Canto original series)
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2 Reddit comments about The Great Wall of China (Canto original series):

u/ScholarsStage · 1 pointr/ChineseHistory

If you are interested in military history, I strongly recommend Arthur Waldron's The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth. http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Wall-China-original/dp/052142707X

The Ming were the dynasty that built the Great Wall. Waldron explains at great length what drove them to do so - why they decided to build walls to face the nomad threat instead of follow other common strategies (trade networks, Heqin-type alliance, all out war).

Edward Dryer has a neat book about Zheng He, the Ming minister whose fleet sailed across the Indian ocean and to Africa http://www.amazon.com/Zheng-He-Dynasty-1405-1433-Biography/dp/0321084438/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381479732&sr=1-2&keywords=zheng+he

And if you like social history, then Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in the Ming is the go-to book. http://www.amazon.com/Confusions-Pleasure-Commerce-Culture-China/dp/0520221540/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381479790&sr=1-1&keywords=confusions+of+pleasure

I have not read this last one, but others in th eknow tell me it is the best place to start.

u/bigfuzzytats · -4 pointsr/worldnews

Yes, especially since there is no such thing as their "wall" (singular).

The "wall" is a loose connection of many walls that took thousands of years to build, the most recognizable (stone sections) built during the Ming-era.

'The Great Wall' is a myth, and a natural nationalistic focal point.