Great Wall in 50 Objects

by William Lindesay

The culmination of a lifetime's field work and research, William Lindesay selects fifty artefacts from around the world to tell the story of the Great Wall from the second century BC to the late-twentieth century.
Abraham Ortelius' pioneering world atlas, the unexpected origins of 'wolf smoke', the proliferation of the blunderbuss in the fifteenth century Great Wall theatre of war, even Kafka's classic short story 'At the Building of the Great Wall' are some of the unique objects that were shaped by China's most famous national landmark. Enhanced by stories of their discovery, and those of their modern-day keepers, The Great Wall in 50 Objects is a personal and historical exploration of a world wonder.
'William Lindesay has a knack for approaching the iconic Great Wall of China in ways that are creative, idiosyncratic, and deeply personal . . . He has succeeded again with The Great Wall in 50 Objects.' Peter Hessler, author of River Town and Oracle Bones
'William Lindesay shows us the Wall in a completely new light by looking at the smaller objects that make up its history . . . Through these objects we feel the Great Wall transform from architecture into a living part of the history and culture of China.' Jack Weatherford, author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
'For years, Lindesay has hiked and studied the Great Wall with exceptional passion. To him, it seems, the Great Wall is not a mere structure, a political icon, or a cultural curiosity, but a treasure trove of stories.' Jaime FlorCruz, former Beijing bureau chief of Time magazine and CNN
'If you are going to China, and intend to see the Great Wall (or even if, unwisely, you don't), take this book on the plane with you, and absorb as many of its intriguing nuggets of Wall-lore and China-lore as you can - it will make your visit infinitely richer.' Prof. Christopher Cullen, Emeritus Director, Needham Research Institute, Cambridge
'William Lindesay lives and breathes Great Wall history and he exudes it with an engaging passion.' Mike Loades, author of Swords and Swordsmen
'Lindesay presents a coherent and highly informative account of the geography, history, and material culture of China's Great Wall. His compelling and well-written account is rich in profound and often quite unexpected insights.' Lothar von Falkenhausen, Professor of Chinese Archaeology and Art History, UCLA
'China's Great Wall is both a monument and a mystery, an almost magical construction mixing beauty and terror. No better book panders to our fascination with its grandeur and the details of its construction. William Lindesay answers our wish to get closer to the people who built it and lived with it by revealing so many aspects of the Wall, taking us a journey across the centuries and its vast length.' Jasper Becker, author of City of Heavenly Tranquility andHungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine

Genres: History, China

402 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2015

About the author

Englishman William Lindesay studied geography and geology at Liverpool University and in 1987 made what China's official Xinhua News Agency described as "the most successful foreign exploration of the Great Wall" in a 2,470 km solo adventure. Since 1994 he has primarily been engaged in systematic research of the Great Wall in the Beijing region and has organized two major "Great Wall Clean Ups".

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Alex Sherr · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a resident of Beijing for the better part of a decade now, I have been lucky enough to climb many different parts of the Great Wall near and far, and even see both ends of the Han and Ming walls on my travels. It is fair to say that I am captivated by the history, enormity, and indescribable beauty of the Great Wall. Yet it is not until more recently that I began to appreciate the intricacies of the Wall’s history, largely in part thank you to William Lindesay and his family.

There are many ways in which The Great Wall in 50 Objects shines – firstly, it’s just a beautiful book to handle, even as a paperback copy. The front cover expands from the inside, to reveal other artifacts you’ll be reading about; the images also provide some literal “color” to many of the objects which are only pictured in black and white in the book. Secondly, I particularly appreciated the author’s hand-drawn maps and the accompanying ink illustrations (courtesy of Zhao Zhenguang) that grace the book’s first few pages. They are worthy of publication on their own! Thirdly, and most importantly, the author’s writing style makes this book exceptionally readable – a “hardcore historian” or a person who has never picked up a history text can enjoy Mr. Lindesay’s work all the same. It reads like a cross between a travel diary, your Father’s most interesting story and a war novel, yet has such a basis in “boots on the ground” research and textual/cartographic analysis, that it is undeniably a historical tour de force. Bravo, Mr. Lindesay! I can only hope that you’re already in the process of writing another masterpiece…

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic, interesting, and gripping read. I thoroughly enjoyed the content and format of this book.
Definitely will remain in use for reference and browsing in the future.
An historical overview filled with a treasure trove of details not only limited to the '50 objects'. One takes away more than a piece of the Great Wall(s) when reading this work.
Read for pleasure and personal interest. Overall, a great book for the researcher and enthusiast.
I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.

[Alpha · Rating 5 out of 5]

On an amazing trip to the Great Wall of China for China Alive, I'm fascinated by what my guide William Lindasey and also the author of this book have been telling me about the history of the great wall. So far at just the beginning pages, I agree with what everything he had told me. The world is too big for us to find out everything about it. I can't wait to keep reading and found more amazing facts about this magnificent structure.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Building materials, weapons, locks and keys, supply manifests, maps, paintings, diary entries, objects belonging to people on both sides of the Great Wall, and more, here we see as many perspectives of the Great Wall of China as we see objects collected in this book, telling a story of a far reaching history that spans over continents and centuries.

[Kendyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great way to learn about the history of both the Great Wall and China. The author makes the history interesting, without sounding like a lecture.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic, interesting, and gripping read. I thoroughly enjoyed the content and format of this book.
Definitely will remain in use for reference and browsing in the future.
An historical overview filled with a treasure trove of details not only limited to the '50 objects'. One takes away more than a piece of the Great Wall(s) when reading this work.
Read for pleasure and personal interest. Overall, a great book for the researcher and enthusiast.
I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.

[James Alistair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book that uses objects as a way of telling the Wall's story.
It analyses the wall at a whole new scale, not just historical, but also geographical and scientific!
MUST READ FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN CHINA's PAST