Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE WALL THAT DISAPPEARED
It's hard to believe that a structure that runs for 8851km (or 21,119km;
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)could go missing, but much
of the Great Wall has. The most optimistic estimates are that just one-third of the Wall is still standing. The twin
culprits for this are man and nature. The cavalier official attitude that existed until very recently saw it fall prey
to both individual pilferers of bricks and stone, and unscrupulous developers.
For people living close to the Wall, some of whom claim descent from the soldiers who once guarded it, all
that raw building material was too tempting. Pass through villages in the Wall's vicinity and you will find
everything from houses to pig pens built from stones, bricks and earth that were once part of it.
Developers and officials have destroyed whole sections of the Wall to make room for roads, luxury villas and
misguided tourism projects. Official restoration work has not always been done properly; in one notorious case
in Shāndōng province, bathroom tiles were used to replace the original stone.
But it is nature that poses the greatest threat to the Wall. Desertification in China started centuries ago, when
imperial officials torched the forests within 95km of the Wall to deny the enemy a chance to launch surprise at-
tacks. Now, with 400,000 hectares of grassland lost to the encroaching desert annually in China, what's left of
the Wall, especially in the environmentally vulnerable northwestern provinces, faces being buried forever.
Getting There & Away
Shūniǔzhàn) to Huáiróu (¥12, one hour, 6.30am to 7.30pm). Get off at Mingzhu
Guangchang bus stop, then start negotiating for a taxi to Xīzhàzi village (Xīzhàzi Cūn;
one-way ¥100 to ¥130, one hour).
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Taxi
Around ¥500 to ¥700 return day trip from Běijīng.
Need to Know
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Location
100km from Běijīng
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Price
Admission ¥20
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Hours
No official opening hours
