Beijing (CNS) -- A renovation project on the Hefangkou section of the Ming Great Wall (built during the Ming Dynasty (1644–1911)) in Beijing started Wednesday.
The project will be done on a 3,553-meter length of the Great Wall, with a 41.8 million yuan investment, the largest renovation with most funding.
Located north of Hefangkou Village, Huibei Town in Beijing, this part of the Great Wall was seriously damaged owing to lack of protection.
The renovation work will be conducted on 25 watch towers, focusing on severely damaged areas caused by human activities or natural forces, as well as protecting and consolidating the main body.
At the launch ceremony, Kong Fanshi, director at the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, said that the renovation will be carried out based on the original historical construction, instead of building a new one.
Guo Dapeng, deputy director at the Cultural Committee of Huairou District, explained the project. It will be divided into two parts: one will be finished by the end of this year and it will renovate the eastern 1,700-meter part of the Hefangkou Great Wall; the other will be launched early next year. The entire project is planned for 395 days, finishing by 2012.
According to Kong, this part of the Great Wall had never been open to the public. After the project is done, special tourism plans will be considered to encourage visitors to experience the beauty of the Great Wall and its surrounding scenery at various locations.
This part of Ming Great Wall was constructed on the foundation of the Northern Qi (550–577) Great Wall, as historical records show. It was designed with precise calculations and dense watch towers, and is definitely a masterpiece in terms of military architecture.
