Built to defend the Middle Kingdom from Mongol attack, the Great Wall north of Beijing is now under modern attack, from hordes of environmentally-unaware day trippers riding in Jettas and Santanas (automobiles), tossing their picnic garbage, letting off earth-shaking fireworks and etching their inglorious names on its 400-year-old bricks.

No longer self-protected by its inaccessibility - most sections are within three-hour's drive for Beijing's 3/4 million private car owners - the arrival of the fun-seeking nouveau riche at once-forgotten sections of Wall has made tourism development a high priority of local farmers and township bureaucrats eager to impress the party elite with their ability to 'relive poverty'. Each would like their section of Wall to become the next Badaling, but only bigger and 'better', with more cablecars and tourist kitch, the trademarks of domestic tourism.

But the Great Wall not only belongs to China, someone cries, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surely that ensures its preservation? In theory yes, but in reality, the designation shrouds the Wall under a false cloak of security. The Great Wall, actually many Great Walls built by many dynasties over a 2500-year-long period, and extending for more than 50,000km across 17 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, is the world's most extensive outdoor museum - without a curator. It is neither protected by any specific laws, nor managed as a relic or resource by any special office.

About the author

William Lindesay studied geography and geology at Liverpool University and in 1987 traveled alone and on foot for a distance of 2,470 kilometers along the route of the Ming Great Wall between Jiayuguan and Shanhaiguan. He recounted his journey in Alone on the Great Wall. Remaining in China to research further, he became concerned about the physical and spiritual destruction of the Great Wall cultural landscape and established the conservation group International Friends of the Great Wall in 2001. Lindesay now works with the Beijing Bureau for Cultural Relics, UNESCO Beijing Office and the US-based World Monuments Fund to preserve the authenticity of the Great Wall. He is frequently sought after by the international and Chinese press and media for his authoritative voice on Great Wall conservation issues. He lives in a farmhouse in the shadow of the Wall.

Article by William Lindesay
Photo by China Outdoors Online

Read Books by William Lindesay on the Great Wall:

• Alone on the Great Wall
• Great Wall: An Exploration
• The Great Wall: China's Historical Wonder and Mankind's Most Formidable Construction Project