Which woman's tears caused the Great Wall to collapse?

The woman whose tears caused part of the Great Wall to collapse was Meng Jiangnu.

In the best-known form of the legend, Meng Jiangnu’s husband, often named Fan Xiliang or Wan Xiliang, is conscripted for forced labor on the Great Wall during the Qin dynasty. After hearing nothing from him, she travels a long distance carrying winter clothing, only to learn that he has died and been buried beneath the construction.

Meng Jiangnu’s grief is so intense that she weeps at the wall until a section collapses, exposing the workers’ remains. In many versions, she identifies her husband’s bones through a drop of her blood. The tale then becomes an indictment of brutal corvée labor and imperial cruelty.

The story has older roots than its Qin-dynasty setting. Early versions call the woman Qi Liang’s Wife; the name “Lady Meng” emerged later, especially in Tang-dynasty retellings. It is one of China’s Four Great Folktales.