Great Wall inspection to be done
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-29 10:37

Preparations are ongoing for the first comprehensive inspection of a Great Wall section built during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), according to the China Great Wall Society yesterday.

The Great Wall in China suffers graphic damage from tourists, as seen in this file photo taken from the Badaling section near capital Beijing. [Xinhua]

The program will start in April or May next year, said Dong Yaohui, vice chairman and secretary general of the China Great Wall Society.

The society has already inspected a section built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The section built during the Qin Dynasty is deteriorating due to both erosion and human activity. The section is poorly understood or protected, Dong said.

China's first emperor, Qinshihuang, founder of the Qin Dynasty, had the Great Wall built to defend the country against the Xiongnu, an ancient race in north China.

Researchers believed the vast project was built by more than 1 million workers in 12 years.

Since the 1980s, the central government has allocated special funds to restore the national monument。