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Official admits failings in Great Wall ‘repair’
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A RECENT “restoration” of a section of the Great Wall in northeast China which left it almost unrecognizable and caused a public outcry, was done without any conservation of its original features, an investigator said, while defending a decision to approve the work.
At a press conference in Beijing, Lu Qiong, a deputy director with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage who is in charge of preservation and archeological studies, said that incomplete records and inadequate discussions prior to the work had resulted in the substandard repair work.
However, Lu said the approval procedures were in line with regulations, and the contractors were fully qualified.
There was derision and disbelief earlier this month when pictures of the smoothing-over of a crumbling but much-loved 700-year-old section of the Great Wall were posted online.
The complaints triggered an investigation by the administration.
Work on the 9-kilometer section in Liaoning Province’s Suizhong County, often referred to as the “most beautiful wild Great Wall,” lasted from 2013 to 2014.
The local cultural authority told reporters earlier this month that the project was both “legal and sensible.”
Lu said 780 meters of the Great Wall had been paved-over, with cement used for some parts, and added that experts agreed that “the work had severely undermined the Great Wall’s pristine and natural historical features” and thus was a violation of regulations on the Great Wall’s preservation.
The administration has asked Liaoning authorities to reevaluate the project and “deal with those responsible.”
Meanwhile, Lu said it was aware it had failed to ensure adequate supervision after the plan was approved.
It has already ordered checks on on-going preservation projects in 15 provinces, regions and municipalities to rule out similar problems, Lu said.
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