[Namsan Ddalggakbari] Building Walls of Desire and Humans Trapped by Themselves

David Frye's 'Civilization of Barriers'... The Rise and Fall of History Born from Tangible and Intangible Barriers
The Great Wall Infused with Emperor Qin's Greed and Obsession & The Mexico Border Wall That Led to Trump's Victory
Still Being Built Worldwide Today... A Reflection on Humanity's Future Changing Inside and Outside Them

China's Emperor Qin Shi Huang (BC 259?BC 210) made a historic mark with the Great Wall. He hired barbarian mercenaries and launched expeditions slightly north of the walls that existed during the Warring States period. This was a barren land that the Chinese had never coveted before, but it held significance as a defense boundary against invasions. Emperor Qin sought to suppress militarily strong enemies through productivity. He established fortified borders by deploying more laborers than soldiers.

Was this a rational decision? Ancient stories make one question it. It is said that Emperor Qin ordered the construction of the Great Wall based on a prophecy that his empire would fall to northern barbarians. However, he misunderstood the diviner’s prophecy. The diviner actually referred to his son Hu Hai (胡亥). The character 'Hu' in his name was the same as the character meaning barbarian.

The Great Wall may have been a product of absurd whimsy. Emperor Qin had grand ambitions akin to Nebuchadnezzar II (BC 605?BC 562), who spared no expense on civil engineering projects. He melted the weapons of defeated armies to make bells and statues, and built replicas of the palaces of defeated kings outside his own palace. He was obsessed with immortality. Near the capital, he constructed 270 palaces connected by corridors surrounded by walls to guard against assassination. Whether rational or not, the Great Wall was a result of the empire’s obsession with immortality.

The massive wall was insufficient to solve the Xiongnu problem. Emperors after Qin bought off the barbarians with money to protect the people within the border. So, at regular intervals, they appeased them with silk, alcohol, and grain. Yet, they named this policy 'peace through harmony' to maintain the myth of imperial rule. Emperors after Qin never completely abandoned appeasement. Chinese silk weavers, farmers, tailors, and goldsmiths continued to be exploited.

(Photo by Beijing Tourism Bureau / http://visitbeijing.or.kr)

People preferred to work rather than engage in endless battles with barbarians. Even at considerable cost, they wanted the border walls strengthened. Thus, the world gradually split into two camps: those living inside the walls and those freely roaming outside. Wall builders and barbarians could never reconcile.

David Frye, a professor at Eastern Connecticut State University, emphasizes in his book The Civilization of Walls that these two camps symbolize the dual aspects of revolution. By examining past cases, he reflects on the impact of tangible and intangible walls being built today. He cites the Great Wall and the US-Mexico border wall as representative examples.

The Great Wall was not solely Emperor Qin’s creation. He merely connected walls that already existed. The border wall built by former US President Donald Trump is no different. Walls were already present along the border before he took office. In fact, the sections Trump newly constructed were few. Most efforts focused on repairing and replacing existing walls.

In truth, Trump was not initially very interested in the wall. It was only after witnessing enthusiastic crowds in Iowa in January 2015 that he became fixated on the issue. Subsequently, he removed references to the wall from prepared speeches. Supporters did not want the issue to fade away. They interrupted speeches, shouting for the wall until Trump responded. Thus, the wall issue slipped from the hands of candidate Trump. All the criticisms that previous administrations tried to avoid were fully directed at Trump.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

History books often look at the past and present together to find people similar to us. In The Civilization of Walls, these are people trapped inside walls they built themselves. They know little about what lies beyond the walls. The only recognizable figures are warriors hired to guard the wall’s perimeter. We are no different. People living outside the walls remain mostly anonymous unless they gain notoriety. The author states:

"With the birth of walls, human societies diverged onto different paths. Some chose a path of narcissistic poetry, while others chose a path of taciturn militarism. The first path led to many other paths (science, mathematics, theater, art). The other path only led its followers to death. On that path, men had to be warriors, and all labor was assigned to women."

What path will the walls built today lead us down? With the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the saying 'good fences make good neighbors' seems to have vanished. In the past 4,000 years, some nations survived and others disappeared due to conflicts between those who built walls and those who attacked them. Some regions gained economic dominance, while others faced desolation.

French philosopher Voltaire (1694?1778) described the Great Wall as a "monument that inspires fear." Walls continue to appear, even if we do not realize it. The author asks and answers himself: "Who builds walls? We do. We always have."