A section of the Great Wall of China severely damaged by construction workers in the central Shanxi province. They used an excavator to excavate it.
Police said two men are suspected of trying to take a shortcut to their construction work.
Both have taken into custody and further investigation of the case is underway.
The 38-year-old man and 55-year-old woman were working near the affected area, the 32nd Great Wall. They widened the existing cavity of the Great Wall and dug a “great gap” so that their excavator could pass through it.
Police say they wanted to minimize the distance they had to travel.
The police also stressed that the two “caused irreparable damage to the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and the protection of cultural relics”.
Located in Youyu County, the 32nd Great Wall is a part of the Ming Great Wall. And classified as a historical and cultural site which protected at the provincial level.
Officers alerted to the damage on August 24 after it was reported that there was a huge gap in the wall.
The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 continuously built. And rebuilt from about 220 BC to the Ming Dynasty in the 1600s. When it was the world’s largest military structure.
The best preserved parts built during the Ming Dynasty between the 14th and 17th centuries.
This is one of them that now has a huge new hole. While well-known parts of the Great Wall consist of beautifully constructed structures with ancient watchtowers. Other parts of the structure are in disrepair or have completely disappeared.
A 2016 report by the Beijing Times newspaper found that more than 30 percent of the Ming Great Wall has completely disappeared. Of which only 8 percent considered well-preserved.
To understand why someone – like the accused – would have such a despicable attitude to destroy a part of this world-renowned historical structure, it is important to consider what it is.
The Great Wall is a series of battles spanning vast parts of northern China and in widely varying conditions.
It is sometimes found in places adjacent to villages or towns. But more often in remote areas of different provinces.
The oldest sections, dating back thousands of years, rammed into the earth walls. And now appear as mounds, not even immediately recognizable as the Great Wall.
Much of the wall’s degradation attributed to local farmers stealing bricks or stones to build houses or animal pens.
More recently, the government has made more efforts to save the Great Wall and as a result, these two people are in a lot of trouble.
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Given the previous destruction of the Great Wall, the public in China would not think that these actions were highly unusual. But they would be troubled by them, given the structure’s historical and cultural significance — not just to China, but to all of humanity.