Governments in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region agreed on Wednesday to make joint efforts to deal with the damage to the Great Wall in a bid to enhance protection of the heritage asset, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Authorities from Beijing's Pinggu district, Tianjin's Jinzhou district and Xinglong county in Hebei Province signed an agreement on protection of the Great Wall, which stipulates that officers from the three administrative units will jointly deal with illegal construction adjacent to the Great Wall, prevent damage to the surrounding environment during scenic development and curb damage to the walls.
The joint agreement, which was initiated by the State Cultural Relics Bureau, is an experimental program on law enforcement to protect the Great Wall, and is expected to be promoted across China in the future, Xinhua said.
The joint agreement also requires the three administrative units to appoint coordinators, set up hotlines and WeChat group for instant communications, and offer timely reports to each other on important clues or threats.
The Great Wall passes through the three administrative units, which makes it difficult to determine responsibility for protection around the bordering areas, Xinhua reported.
Nearly 30 percent of the original Great Wall, equaling a total length of 1,961 kilometers, has disappeared since it was built, including being pilfered by local residents to build houses, and a further 1,185 kilometers of the Wall is in a bad condition, the Beijing Times reported in 2015.
Natural damage, like lightning, earthquakes or floods, remains another threat to the Great Wall, the report said.
China made regulations on the Great Wall protection in September 2006, which failed to assign specific responsibilities to involved departments, the Guangdong Daily reported in 2015.
