This was a little distressing to read about: the Great Wall of China is falling apart.
Dong Yaohui, secretary-general of the Great Wall Society of China, delivers the wake-up call. “Believe it or not, the Great Wall is crumbling, unable to withstand natural deterioration and calamities caused by people.”
Dong, who has personally surveyed huge sections of the structure originally built as a defensive barrier against marauding invaders, says he believes that of the portion built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), less than 20 percent is still intact.
A probe of 100 sections drew the alarming conclusion that a third of the structure has already vanished, subject to the natural ravages of the weather and the encroaching Gobi Desert, as well as the attention of peasants and farmers living in its shadow.
The Great Wall is just one of the many, many places I’d like a chance to visit someday. While it’s not likely that the entire wall is going to suddenly up and disappear overnight, it’s a shame that we’re in danger of losing major portions of such an astounding monument.