Metropolis Desk-
Construction workers in the province of Shanxi’s central region used an excavator to dig through a section of the Great Wall of China, badly damaging it.
Two people, according to the police, are allegedly trying to find a shortcut for their construction work. The two have been taken into custody, and the situation is still being looked into.
The impacted region, the 32nd Great Wall, was close to where the 38-year-old male and 55-year-old lady were employed.
They widened an existing Great Wall cavity so that their excavator could fit through it, creating a “big gap” in the wall. Police said that they wanted to travel less distance.
Police emphasized that the two damaged “the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and the safety of the cultural relics irreparably.”
The 32nd Great Wall, a portion of the Ming Great Wall that is situated in Youyu county, is recognized as a historical and cultural landmark that is protected at the provincial level. On August 24, officers were informed of the damage after hearing that there was a sizable crack in the wall.
The Great Wall, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, was continuously constructed between 220 BC and the Ming Dynasty in the 1600s, when it was the biggest military structure in the world.
The Ming Dynasty, which ruled between the 14th and the 17th centuries, is when the pieces are the finest preserved. One of these has a sizable new hole blown through it currently.
While the better-known parts of the Great Wall consist of beautifully built structures dotted with ancient watchtowers, other parts of the structure are crumbling or have disappeared altogether. A 2016 report from newspaper Beijing Times suggests more than 30% of the Ming Great Wall has disappeared entirely, with only 8% of it considered well preserved.
To understand why somebody – such as the accused – might have such a blasé attitude towards wrecking a section of this world-famous historical structure, it is important to consider what it is.
The Great Wall is a series of battlements stretching across vast sections of northern China and it is in widely varying states of disrepair. It is sometimes found in places with villages or towns, but often in remote areas of various provinces.
The earliest sections, which date back thousands of years, were made of rammed earth walls and today merely resemble mounds, making them difficult to identify as the Great Wall.
Local farmers stealing bricks or stones to build homes or animal cages is largely to blame for the wall’s deterioration. These two people are in serious difficulty because the government has recently taken extra measures to protect the Great Wall.
Given the prior demolition of the Great Wall, the Chinese populace won’t perceive these actions as particularly unique, but they will be outraged by them given the huge historical and cultural significance of this edifice – not just for China, but for all of humanity.
Source- BBC News
