Great Wall Damage 2015

 When I go business trip in Beijing, China, I saw the great wall while moving to the Car.

 

One day, The great wall is defend enemy, nowadays the wall can't defend friendly part and forces

I feel astonishing at how much things changed.

 

 

Great wall damage

 

 

The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world. Recently, Chinese officials announced the results of a survey of the wall. The Great Wall’s best known section was built during the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644). The survey says that nearly one-third of this part has disappeared.

 

 

Humans and weathering are causing the damage. People living in nearby villages take stones and bricks from the wall. These are then used to construct houses or other buildings. Sometimes bricks with Chinese writing, or characters, carved on them are sold to visitors. Rain and wind erosion damage the wall. Plants growing between the bricks and stones increase the damage.

 

 

The Great Wall of China was built by thousands of workers. It was constructed during the reigns of many Chinese emperors. The oldest parts date back to 200 BCE. The newest sections were built in the 1600s. Many people think that the Great Wall of China is one long single structure. This is not true. Some parts were built in parallel many kilometers apart. Other sections overlap.

 

The wall was meant to protect the north of China from attack. In mountainous places it was built in stone. In lowland areas, or plains, the barrier was made from mounds of earth and wood. The wall is no longer complete. Parts have fallen down. Other sections are covered by sand or have been washed away. Some sections now look like piles of stones. The wall used to have many watchtowers. These were often at the highest parts. The towers were positioned so signals could be quickly sent from one part of the wall to another. Most of the watchtowers have now! disappeared.

 

Chinese officials say that the total length of the Great Wall was 21,196 kilometers. This includes the places where the barrier can no longer be seen. If this figure is correct, it means that only about eight percent of the wall is still standing.

 

The best-preserved parts of the Great Wall were built from stone during the Ming dynasty. Some of these sections are not far from Beijing, China’s capital city. Tens of thousands of tourists visit these Ming dynasty walls each year. The sections open to visitors are often overcrowded, especially on weekends and national holidays.

 

The Ming dynasty wall is about 8,850 kilometers long. Not all of it was made from stone and bricks. Hills and rivers were used as defenses in some places. Trenches were dug in other parts. The total length of the Ming dynasty’s stone and brick walls is 6,260 kilometers. The recent survey says that roughly one-third of these parts of the wall have disappeared.

Nowadays, some younger Chinese people explore the wall in remote areas. By walking over sections that have not been restored, more damage is done. Some officials think that it may be necessary to stop people from going near much of the wall. Then, people would only be able to visit the sections near Beijing. Yet, because of the Great Wall’s length, this would be difficult to enforce. 

 

 

[source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/29/china-great-wall-third-disappeared

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/china-watch/culture/11723854/how-to-save-the-great-wall-of-china.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/shrinking-great-wall-of-china-prompts-calls-for-preservation-1.2270000

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8008108.stm, google image search]