The Great Wall stretches ten thousand li, majestic in spirit.
Tips
history
Politician Wan Li (1916-2015) was Deng Xiaoping's point man on rural reform. As Party Secretary of Anhui in the late 1970s he tacitly blessed the farmers of 小岗村 who broke up the communes - a pivotal moment in China's reform and opening. Later Vice Premier (1980-88) and NPC Chairman (1988-93).
culture
As a common noun, 万里 literally means '10,000 li' (about 5,000 km), but in poetry it's an idiom for 'a vast distance' - e.g. 万里长城 (Great Wall, 'ten-thousand-li wall') or 万里无云 (cloudless across ten thousand li).
