Chángchéng zuìchū shì wèile fángyù Xiōngnú ér xiūjiàn de.
The Great Wall was originally built to defend against the Xiongnu.
Tips
history
The Xiongnu were a confederation of nomadic peoples on the Mongolian steppe who clashed with China for centuries. Their pressure drove the construction of the Great Wall and the Silk Road's military escorts. Some historians link the Western Huns (Attila's people) to descendants of the Xiongnu, though this is debated.
culture
The famous heroine 王昭君 (Wang Zhaojun, c. 50 BCE) was a Han palace lady married off to a Xiongnu chanyu — one of the 'Four Beauties of ancient China' and a recurring symbol of peace through marriage alliance (和亲, héqīn).
