Great Wall of China 'severely damaged' by construction workers digging for shortcut
Great Wall of China
Two people have been detained for allegedly damaging a part of the iconic Great Wall of China while carrying out construction work in central Shanxi province.
According to local media reports, the workers used an excavator to “severely” damage a segment of the 32nd Great Wall while trying to dig a shortcut.
The names of those who have been detained have not been provided, except that they are a 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman.
Police say they dug a "big gap" by widening an existing cavity of the Great Wall so that their excavator could pass through it.
According to police, the construction workers wanted to reduce the distance they had to travel.
'Irreversible damage'
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The police also stressed that they have caused "irreversible damage to the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and to the safety of the cultural relics", state-run CCTV reported on Monday (Sept 4).
Both were arrested on August 24 in Yuyou County after receiving reports about damage to the wall. The case is under further investigation, the police statement stated.
“Currently, the two suspects have been criminally detained in accordance with the law, and the case is continuing to be investigated,” said CCTV.
Declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987, the Great Wall was built and rebuilt on a continual basis from around 220 BC until the Ming Dynasty in the 1600s when it was the world's largest military structure.
The present structure that is seen by tourists was constructed during the Ming Dynasty, hence it is referred to as the Ming Great Wall.
Much of the wall demolished
The damage was inflicted on a section of the wall dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). It is also home to a relatively well-preserved watch tower and is listed as a provincial cultural relic.
Some stretches of the wall have been damaged or demolished over the years, especially in remote rural areas.
In 2016, the Beijing Times newspaper reported that more than 30 per cent of the Ming Great Wall has disappeared entirely, with only 8 per cent of it considered well-preserved.
(With inputs from agencies)
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