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Shih Huang-ti built it to protect China's many hardworking and peaceable peasants and townspeople from the wild tribes of the steppes,
秦始皇修建它是為了保護中國眾多勤勞、愛好和平的農民和民眾，使其免遭草原上野蠻部落的侵犯，
whose warlike horsemen roamed the vast plains of inner Asia.
這些部落的好戰的騎兵漫游在在亞洲腹地的遼闊平原上。
It had to be strong enough to resist their incessant raids, with all their looting and killing.
這座城墻必須足夠堅固才可以抵抗這些一再入侵的部落的掠奪和殺戮。
And he succeeded. Of course, over the centuries the wall has often been rebuilt and strengthened, but it is still there today.
他成功了。當然，幾千年來長城自然也常常需要重建和加固，但它今天依然還在。
Shih Huang-ti didn't have a long reign. Soon a new family ascended the throne of the Son of Heaven.
秦始皇本人在位時間不長。在他之后不久一個新的家族登上了天子寶座。
This was the Han family.
這就是漢朝。
They saw no need to undo all Shih Huang-ti's good works, and under their rule China remained strong and unified.
他們發現沒有必要破壞秦始皇建立起來的大好江山，在他們的統治之下中國仍然是一個牢固的、統一的國家。
But by now the Hans were no longer enemies of history.
但他們不再是歷史的敵人了。
On the contrary, they remembered China's debt to the teachings of Confucius and set about searching high and low for all those ancient writings.
相反，他們回憶起過去認為孔子的學說對中國功不可沒，于是到處搜尋這些古書。
It turned out that many people had had the courage not to burn them after all.
結果表明許多人有膽有識沒有將它們燒毀。
