A stretch of Great Wall of China has been marred by Chinese officials who paved smooth concrete over the battle-scared structure to create what looks like an elevated pathway.
The ‘restored’ section of wall stretches for over a mile in Suizhong county, Liaoning province, in China’s north-east.
It was built in 1381 in the early years of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) after emporer Zhu Yuanzhang forced the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty to flee north.
Suizhong county’s Cultural Relics Bureau deemed the work necessary to protect tourists from loose masonry and falling debris, say local officials. But they have neglected to explain why a more sensitive repair job wasn’t ordered for one of the world’s most famous historical landmark. And their efforts, as one might imagine, have had contrary to the desired effect on local tourism.
The Great Wall is not a single unbroken structure, but stretches for thousands of miles in sections, from the east coast to the edge of the Gobi desert. It is estimated to extend to 13,000 miles (21,000 kilometres) in total.
Ding Hui, Liaoning province’s top cultural official, said workers “put a ‘protection cover’” on a “severely damaged” section of the wall in 2014, according to the Beijing News, who only reported the work this week.
The work was widely ridiculed on China’s Sina Weibo.
