Iconic Great Wall of China Damaged by Workers’ Shortcut Attempt
Construction workers in Central Shanxi province used an excavator to dig through a portion of the Great Wall of China, seriously damaging it in the process.
According to the police, two individuals are allegedly trying to develop a shortcut for their building work. The two have been taken into custody, and more research is being done on the case.
The 55-year-old woman and the 38-year-old guy were coworkers close to the 32nd Great Wall when the incident occurred.
They created a “huge gap” by enlarging a Great Wall chasm so that their excavator could move through it. According to the police, they wanted to go less distance.
Authorities emphasized that the two damaged “the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and the safety of the cultural artifacts irreparably.” The Great Wall, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, was continuously constructed between 220 BC and the Ming Dynasty in the 1600s, when it was the biggest military structure in the world.
The Ming Dynasty, which ruled between the 14th and the 17th centuries, is when the pieces are the finest preserved. One of these has a sizable new hole blown through it currently.
While the most well-known sections of the Great Wall are made up of exquisitely constructed buildings sprinkled with historic watchtowers, some portions of the wall are disintegrating or have vanished entirely.
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Preserving the Past
According to a 2016 article in the newspaper Beijing Times, more than 30% of the Ming Great Wall has completely vanished, with only 8% of it being regarded as being in good condition. It is crucial to evaluate what it is in order to comprehend why someone, like the accused, can have such a casual attitude toward destroying a portion of this iconic historical landmark.
The Great Wall is a network of battlements that spans large areas of northern China and is in a very poor condition. Sometimes it can be found in towns or villages, but it is typically located in isolated regions of different provinces.
The earliest sections, which date back thousands of years, were made of rammed earth walls and today merely resemble mounds, making them difficult to identify as the Great Wall.
Local farmers stealing bricks or stones to build homes or animal cages is largely to blame for the wall’s deterioration. These two people are in serious difficulty because the government has recently taken extra measures to protect the Great Wall.
Given the prior demolition of the Great Wall, the Chinese populace won’t perceive these actions as particularly unique, but they will be outraged by them given the huge historical and cultural significance of this edifice – not just for China, but for all of humanity.
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Source: BBC
