Two-thirds of the Great Wall of China has been destroyed by sightseers, developers and erosion, Beijing's state-run media reported on Monday, in a warning that the world heritage site is crumbling out of existence.
Survey teams have found large new breaches in the ramparts, which are believed to have once stretched almost 6,400km. Other sections have been vandalized, covered in graffiti and ripped up for use in pigsties and coal mines.
"Booming tourism, development and lack of funds for protection are nibbling away the Great Wall," reported the Xinhua news agency.
"Only one-third of the wall now exists and the length is still shortening," Xinhua said.
It is the clearest indication yet that booming China is failing to use its new wealth to conserve what ought to be a source of national pride. Renovations that have been carried out have ended with clumsy exploitation, such as at Badaling, where tourists can ride toboggans and cable cars, eat at a KFC outlet and have their picture taken with camels and life-size cutouts of Mao Zedong (
British experts said yesterday that past regimes had done little to preserve the wall. Attitudes were changing but the scope of the structure made it hard to maintain.
Carol Michaelson, assistant keeper in the Asia department at the British Museum, said the Chinese government tended to try to carry out "rescue acts" on its monuments.
"When something becomes really bad they do something about it," Michaelson said.
However, she accepted that preserving the whole length of the wall was an "impossible job."
She said: "The wall is of such a length that it is impractical to keep it all up and in pristine condition. In an ideal world the whole wall would be preserved but you have to be pragmatic about it.
"It is also desirable for money to be spent on literacy and health care."
According to Chinese guidebooks, the oldest sections of the wall date back more than 2,000 years, but most of the structure was built during the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644). Millions of laborers were conscripted and often worked to death to build the 7m-high, 7m-wide ramparts, which ultimately failed to prevent invasion by "foreign barbarians."
Although the wall survived the Mongol hordes, it has fared less well against sand storms, erosion and human activity, prompting concern around the globe. Last October, the World Monument Fund put it atop its annual list of the most endangered architectural sites.
Prominent overseas visitors have also expressed amazement at China's neglect of the wall.
The Badaling area, which is run by a company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, is the most popular section of the wall, attracting 10 million visitors a year. When the president of Harvard University, Larry Summers, visited the region last May he sighed to reporters, "Go-kart rides, Disneyland-type scenes and golden arches. Is this good?"
Worried that the issue could be an embarrassment during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Chinese authorities have taken steps to halt the deterioration.
Last year, Beijing introduced laws to protect the 630km stretch under its jurisdiction.
Ten years ago, the central government established cultural preservation offices to keep watch over the wall.
But such well-intentioned measures lack resources and a means of enforcement.
Typically, a stretch of more than 150km is looked over by a three-man office with an annual budget of just US$200.
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