China’s Great Wall to fall, says expert
BEIJING – The Great Wall of China is in danger of disappearing, according to a leading Great Wall protection expert.
“Only 10 percent of the existing wall is under protection,” said Dong Yaohui, vice-chairman of the China Great Wall Society, an NGO championing restoration.
According to China Daily, the society’s 2006 figures showed that only about 20 per cent of the 6,300km Great Wall is in reasonable shape, another 30 per cent is in ruins.
Only some sections of the Great Wall are listed as conservation sites, but its major portions, especially those in rural areas, have escaped attention, he said.
“Unfortunately, what remains of the wall is in danger of collapse too, thanks to the weather, erosion and human activities,” he said.
The Regulation on the Protection of Great Wall, the country’s first statute to protect the national symbol from further damage, has done little, even though it was implemented last December, Dong said.
The regulation stipulates illegal activities include holding of events in sections of the Great Wall not open to tourists, carving names, digging the soil, taking out bricks or planting trees along the wall.
But “with no local budget allocated and shortage of hands in the State Cultural Relics Bureau, the regulation could be a mere paper, with no force,” said Dong.
China is likely to come up with a new protection plan in 2009, he said. And it is widely expected to ensure more all-around protection.
Ian Jarrett
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