Chinese people are proud of their over-2,000 years old Great
Wall. When they set foot on the famous walls such as Badaling
Great Wall, they say, "Check the giant dragon!"
However, these visitors rarely know that most parts of the Great
Wall are not so great; they are just broken stones and bricks
lying in the remote mountains, grasslands and deserts.
The Great Wall is different from other cultural relics in that
it cannot be kept in museums, which presents great difficulty
in protecting it. At present, almost entire sections of the wall
are being left as they are. These sections, together with the
surrounding farmland, once located near the borders of deserts
have already been swallowed by the flowing sand. For example,
sections of the wall near Maowusu Desert and Tenggeli Desert have
disappeared forever. In Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Shanxi, the
sections are mostly rammed-earth construction, so they are easily
brushed away by the perennial affect of wind and rain. Many sections
are hard to recognize without experts' instructions. The brick
walls lying in Tianjin, Beijing and Hebei have little better fate.
Having experienced countless winds and rains, these walls are
collapsing brick by brick every day.
Besides natural influences, experts also point out that human
activity is another big enemy of the wall. It is a common phenomenon
that many residents living near the wall take bricks or stones
to build their houses. It is not surprising to see farmers dig
the wall to create their sheepfold or latrine. Many walls are
cut off just because they block the extension of modern highways.
In September of 2006, the Great Wall welcomed its new page in
history when the Chinese State Council promulgated the Regulation
on the Protection of the Great Wall. It regulates people's
behavior on the wall. This historic and great decision brings
the wall the hope to survive. So all of us must enhance our personal
consciousness to protect the wall, at the same time being proud
of it!