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And it's one of the most iconic symbols of China—but now the Great Wall is facing a threat more deadly than foreign invaders. Here's more.
Legal and illegal mining operations are achieving what time and war could not— threatening to crumble the Great Wall of China.
About 124 miles southwest of Beijing, in rural Laiyuan County in Hebei Province, dozens of small mines are threatening the stability of the Great Wall. Prospectors are digging for copper, iron, and other minerals. Some mines have excavated within just 300 feet of the Wall itself.
But many of these mines hold legal permits, so there may be little conservationists can do to fight the destruction.
Cultural protection experts say more than 70 percent of the Wall lies in ruins, with just a little over 20 percent of it in good shape, state-run Xinhua reported.
In Laiyuan County, residents who previously relied on agriculture have turned their land over to the miners—evident by trucks rumbling along the rural roads, carrying away the excavated spoils.
[Ding Qingzhong, Local Resident]:
"Our village is empty—the whole southern area is empty. In the north, they've dug a hole going all the way through to Tielingzi and even 1.5 kilometers beyond that to a place called Geziling."
Local resident Tong Zhongrong disagrees with the idea of making money at the expense of preservation.
[Tong Zhongrong, Local Resident]:
"Ancient landmarks should be restored, and at the same time resources should also be extracted. But don't destroy the ancient landmark just for the sake of mining and for selfish profits—that's wrong."
