Remote section of China’s Great Wall damaged by 20 years of mine waste dumping
While foreign leaders and their families walk the iconic restored sections of the Great Wall around Beijing, the ancient stones of a remote Ming-era stretch of the structure in northern central China have been sacrificed for cheaper dumping of coal-mining waste. For nearly 20 years, a section of the wall in Ningwu county, Shanxi province, was used as a short cut to dump slag, despite…
A remote section of China's Great Wall, constructed by ancient rulers to protect their territories, has been damaged for the past two decades by the disposal of coal mining waste. The Guojiayao section in Ningwu county, Shanxi province, was used as a shortcut to dispose of excavation waste by unlicensed miners, despite multiple warnings from whistle-blowers.
The damage began in 2007 and persisted for nearly two decades, with authorities failing to respond to repeated reports from concerned citizens. The wall, a symbol of Chinese civilization and a popular tourist destination, typically attracts world leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Barack Obama.
However, the neglected Guojiayao section was left vulnerable due to weak conservation efforts and infrequent inspections. The provincial authorities only took action in March this year, after media exposure and public complaints forced them to establish a special task force to investigate the coal company's illegal mining activities and destruction of cultural heritage.
The company was fined 1 million yuan (US$149,000) for violating cultural relic control zones and causing severe damage to the historical site. Experts warn that heritage conservation requires daily oversight and prompt resolution of issues to prevent severe consequences, emphasizing that public pressure alone is insufficient. The Ningwu county government has promised a crackdown on heritage damage and illegal slag dumping, including emergency repairs and structural reinforcements, while investigating historical negligence and duty breaches to strengthen long-term protection mechanisms.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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