China warns of theft of bricks from Great Wall

Each brick taken from the Great Wall after carving can be sold to tourists for 4.5 USD.

SheetThe GuardianChina's cultural heritage protection officials have announced plans to conduct regular and random inspections of the Great Wall's conservation work to ensure that local governments are not negligent, it was reported.

The Great Wall attracts many tourists. Photo: Getty

Despite UNESCO-recognized heritage protection regulations, China’s efforts to preserve the historic structure have been questioned for decades. It is estimated that one-third of the Great Wall, which dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), has disappeared, with officials blaming environmental and human damage.

The Great Wall attracts a huge number of tourists every year, which is believed to be one of the reasons for the damage to this structure, but tourists are not the only "culprits" causing the above situation.

In fact, locals regularly steal bricks from the Great Wall to build their houses or sell. According to local media, each brick taken from the Great Wall after being carved can be sold to tourists for 4.5 USD.

“It doesn’t cause large-scale damage, but the accumulation of many small damages will be a serious problem. We spend a lot of money on repairing the Great Wall instead of preserving this relic,” said Dong Yaohui, a representative of the Great Wall Conservation Department.

According to VOV