It is one of the most amazing and recognized the world human constructions, but is ill because almost a third of its structure has been damaged by erosion, lack of maintenance or destruction by the human being. The Great Wall of China disappears the authorities want to find the key to avoid.
Symbol of China and World Heritage Site since 1987, this architectural colossus is suffering wear over time, failure to maintain proximity of mines and vandalism. Of the 21,000 total kilometers that make up the Great Wall , almost 2,000 have disappeared, according to data released by China Great Wall Society (CGWs), which continues to report that the Law on Protection of the Great Wall (2006) is useless.
Chinese authorities announced in May a project to restore the oldest part, built between the VIII and V centuries BC and located in the eastern province of Shandong.
There are enough people director for conservation and protection Renovation work will take place in eighteen sections, with a combined length of 61 kilometers, and will have a budget of 208 million yuan (34 million dollars, 30 million euros), he said administration of cultural heritage of Shandong Xie Zhixiu. Along with the restoration, the Shandong provincial government undertake before the end of the year an initiative to protect the environment of the monument.
Shandong Wall is the oldest section of the famous Chinese defensive construction and its origins are even older than the rest of what is now known as Great Wall. It is believed that this section was built between 770 BC and 476 BC in what was then the state of Qi and between what are now the cities of Jinan and Qingdao, on the coast of East China Sea, with an area of 641 kilometers.
The vegetation is also a threat, as the plant roots extend through the walls of the fortress and weakening the structure, which also makes the extreme heat and cold much of northern China. The weather is winning the battle to the wall that served to defend the Chinese nomadic peoples and farmers of northern Asia for centuries (although not always achieved), and human actions are putting not be easy.
"There are enough people for their conservation and protection," says Dong Yaohui, deputy director of the China Great Wall Society (GWCS, in English). Dong recalls how in the 60s and 70s "many pieces of the wall crumbled to build their houses." To this is added the sale on the black market building fragments, especially those with characters engraved on them and have more value (about $ 3).
According to a study by the GWCS in 2014, only 8.2% of the Great Wall is in "good condition", while 74.1% is classified as "in bad shape". "The government has taken steps, but insufficient", criticizes the deputy Dong, and considers that the penalties for those who violate the monument "should be higher."
In 2006, the Chinese government approved the first law to protect cultural heritage, the Great Wall, but the lack of detail in the Standard and administrative staff to fulfill its purpose have led him to be considered a "worthless paper ". "In fact, in the past it has not been paid much attention to maintaining the Great Wall. China has lived and still lives a process of transformation and development of its economy and the process of protection of cultural heritage goes hand in hand" History says Professor Xu Haiyun, Renmin University in Beijing.
Xu is optimistic to ensure that, in the current circumstances, "with the financial power" of China, "has put everything in place to ensure the protection" of one of the "symbols of China", born as such in the third century BC by order of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shihuang, to link the various sections of defensive walls built by ancient tribes and kingdoms.
But not the whole problem lies in the funds, meanwhile said the deputy director of GWCS. "We must raise awareness," Dong claims and intends to seek volunteers, people who live near a section of the fortification for the "care" in exchange for a grant. A popular trend of visiting the "wild" parts of the building, those not qualified for the passage of tourists, is also causing deterioration because they are areas without any management.
For Dong, however, tourism is not a problem, but an ally to explode: "Only a small part of the wall is open to tourism and that is the best preserved Tourists not damaged, protect it.".
