Great Wall of China to Receive Repairs Just North of Beijing

In a move that could have far-reaching consequences for local tourism, authorities have announced they will be repairing the section of the Great Wall of China that lies closest to Beijing.

The Huairou Cultural Committee said it will begin repair work on an 8-kilometer-long stretch of the ancient historic relic beginning in May.

Called "Jiankou" (箭扣), the named zone lies directly north of the capital and sits between the Badaling portion of the Great Wall and just west of Mutianyu, two areas that have been well-developed as local tourist attractions.

The five-year plan calls for repair work to be performed over a 7,728-meter-long stretch of the wall that will cost an estimated 155 million yuan. The repairs will first prioritize emergency work on a southern portion of the Jiankou wall that includes four watchtowers.

With the plan already approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, local officials are promising full disclosure on the project. Deputy director Guo Dapeng of the Huairou Culture Committee says the restoration will only use old bricks, promising donors will be able to watch as onsite experts complete the repairs.

The announcement does not call for commercialization of the Jiankou section, but experts have long advised making the Great Wall into a tourist attraction in order to help preserve it. Without proper upkeep and maintenance, unused parts of the Great Wall of China have fallen into disarray or even been looted as building materials or sold as souvenirs.

However, the announcement did reveal that authorities plan to use this part of the Great Wall as a diplomatic tool. The Beijing Times reports that the Jiankou restoration efforts will include the construction of a 1,500sqm "One Belt, One Road" museum that, in conjunction with the 2014-built APEC Conference Center, will serve as an "international communications center" that will turn Huairou into a "cultural display window."

Previous efforts to restore the Great Wall of China came under fire when it was discovered in 2016 that a northeastern portion of the wall was paved over. Officials defended the preservation tactic by saying the area suffered from structural defects and that lime and clay were used instead of concrete.

Unfortunately, it may be too late. The public outrage over the "sacrilege" of the paved wall came two years after it was already done. Furthermore, much of the 13,000-mile-long Great Wall of China is already in ruins; only 8 to 10 percent of the historical relic is estimated to be in good condition.

Thirty percent of the Great Wall built during the Ming Dynasty, the most recent and sturdy addition, has already disappeared as a result of erosion or human interference.

Other plans to help preserve the Great Wall of China include offering a "sacrificial zone" that permits tourists to grafiti the cultural relic as a way to help contain the practice.

Images: NY Mag (nydailynews.com), Quanjing.com, Xinhuanet.com

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