one third of Great wall of China disappears !!!

In circa. 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form a united defence system against invasions from the north. Construction continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) – that is what is famously known as ‘Great wall of China’ -  world's largest military structure of historic, strategic and architectural significance.

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe. Other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration. A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the Ming walls measure 8,850 km (5,500 mi).

That is a thing of the past -  people are shocked by a report in a Chinese newspaper that nearly one third of the GreatWall has disappeared due to natural erosion, destruction by humans and a lack of protection.According to the report by Beijing Times, only around 8 percent of the Great Wall built inMing dynasty is well-preserved. Human destruction, illegal trade or the practice of stealingbricks from the Great Wall have threatened the conservation of the heritage.In Lulong county, north China’s Hebei province, some special bricks that have cavedChinese characters on the Great Wall are sold by local villagers at a low price of 30 yuan(around 5 dollars) per piece, according to the report.Under Chinese regulations, people who take bricks from the Great Wall can be fined up to ¥5,000, according to the state-run Global Times.  But there is no Organsiation to enforce the rules.  "Even though some of the walls are built of bricks and stones, they cannot withstand the perennial exposure to wind and rain," the paper quoted, a vice president of the society, as saying.

The report has triggered debates. Some say that  local governments along the Great Wall do not have enoughmoney and manpower to protect scores of kilometers or even hundreds of kilometersofthe Great Wall, therefore, protecting parts of the heritage is reasonable. It is so dilapidated in places that estimates of its total length vary from 9,000 to 21,000 kilometres, depending on whether missing sections are included. Despite its length, it is not, as is sometimes claimed, visible from space.Tourism and local residents’ activities are also damaging the longest human construction in the world, the paper added.

It added that explorations of undeveloped parts of the Great Wall -- an increasingly popular leisure activity in recent years -- had brought those sections more tourists than they could bear, damaging them severely.Some of the construction weathered away, while plants growing in the walls have accelerated the decay , said the report citing a survey last year by the Great Wall of China Society.

In a rib tickling comedy vaigaipuyal Vadivelu would go to a Police station seeking to lodge a complaint of theft of a well. Yes the ‘agricultural well’. He would state that he took a bank loan for digging a well and planned to provide drinking water to the residents of nearby villages and provide water for irrigation. In his defence, he would state that for loan, the bank officials had visited, made a report and then approved loan. On the Govt. side, he would claim that Govt officials had issued receipt approving the well – all this done by taking bribes and without physically inspecting the site / property at all - thus he would say he has the receipt and would go to the Collector or to Court for filing a suit, if the FIR for missing well was not registered. The stunned Police Inspector would resign his job and run away in the comedy. ~and perhaps there needs to be a complaint for the missing wall too !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

30^th June 2015.