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Reckless actions threaten Great Wall
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-03-03 11:01
The Great Wall in west China is in danger of being destroyed by the reckless
actions of people, experts are warning.
A section of the
Great Wall. [file phto] | In Shaanxi Province, the
ancient wall is in an advanced state of destruction as one-third of the
structure built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) has disappeared forever.
Kang Lanying, former director of the Yulin municipal cultural heritage
committee, said the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty covered 850 kilometers in
Shaanxi. But as a result of human damage, the surviving part was only around 600
kilometers.
Destruction caused by transportation and energy project construction has
grown worse in recent years, said an official with the Shaanxi cultural heritage
bureau.
Up to 40 openings in the Shaanxi section of the Great Wall had been breached
by roads.
And "there is a lot more", said the official.
 Shaanxi boasts over 2,000 kilometers of the Great Wall
built from the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC) to the Ming Dynasty,
crossing 14 counties and cities, all of which are major cultural relics under
state protection named by the State Council.
The same scene can be seen in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous
Region.
The section of wall in Linhe Town, Ningwu City, built in the Ming Dynasty was
cut into three parts to make way for roads.
Liu Hong'an, director of the Lingwu cultural heritage bureau, said the roads
were built during the Spring Festival, leaving two openings 3 and 5 meters wide
respectively.
The total length of the Great Wall in the region is over 1,500 kilometers,
built in the Warring States Period, the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC), the Han
Dynasty (206 BC-AD 230), the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618) and the Ming Dynasty.
"So Ningxia has been a 'Museum of the Great Wall' for a long time," said Liu.
Liu said the destroyed parts under state protection were begun in 1474, with
a length of 387 kilometers then. But it collapsed, and was rebuilt in 1531 along
180 kilometers.
The two openings had been mended and a police investigation into the
destruction is underway.
"As a result of natural erosion, such as weathering, and human damage, the
Great Wall, the common wealth of humanity is under threat of aggravated
destruction," said Liu.
"It calls for the attention of the whole of society to protect the Great Wall
and to end the human destruction," said Liu.
A joint notice has been issued by Shaanxi provincial cultural heritage
bureau, the public security department, the land and resources department, the
construction department, the environmental protection department and the tourism
bureau to strengthen protection and administration of the Great Wall in Shaanxi,
to prohibit excessive and destructive exploitation, and to prosecute individuals
or units harming the Great Wall.
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