The good news: The Great Wall of China was recently picked as one of the new seven wonders of the world in a global online poll.
The bad news: The Great Wall is crumbling… deteriorating… basically falling apart due to the massive amount of tourists it accommodates on a yearly basis. The condition of the wall, which was originally created to defend against foreign invaders, is said to be so poor that some locals wonder how it could be named as one of the new wonders of the world.
Visitors say almost every brick in the high traffic sections of the wall, such as Badaling, has been carved with people’s names or plastered with graffiti. In other areas huge chunks of the wall have been ripped down by villagers who reportedly used the bricks to build houses. For those of you who have never visited the Great Wall of China, the massive structure is estimated to be about 4,000 miles long and it weaves through a dozen provinces and regions across northern China. Some stretches of the wall located in remote areas have fallen into disrepair while others (mainly the most popular sections) are bordered with unsightly hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. Other sections are strewn with garbage.
According to Chinese newspapers, recently, local government officials have stepped up efforts to restore some parts of the wall (protecting it from vandals and reining in commercial development around it), but most agree the government not enough is being done to preserve the wall.
The man behind the online poll, which crowned the wall as a new wonder, said he hoped it would inspire preservation efforts, especially in the severely dilapidated areas.
Will the new designation translate into money to help the Great Wall? It seems only time will tell, though with the Beijing Olympic Games just around the corner the Great Wall might finally get a long overdue makeover.
By the way, in case you were wondering what other attractions were crowned winners in the “New Seven Wonders of the World” online poll, here are the results: Petra in Jordan, Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, the Colosseum in Rome and the Taj Mahal in India.
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