Great Wall of China damaged by bulldozer opening path for workers

Two people have been detained in northern China after allegedly damaging a section of the Great Wall with a bulldozer, according to local authorities.

A 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman in Shanxi province have been accused of digging up the Great Wall to create a shortcut to their nearby construction work, local police said in a statement.

They reportedly expanded an existing opening in the old structure into a gap large enough for their bulldozer to pass through to “save travel distance,” according to the release.

The excavation caused “irreversible” damage to the integrity and security of that part of the wall, police said.

Yuyou County Police detained the two suspects after receiving reports of damage on Aug. 24. The case is under further investigation, according to the statement.

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The Great Wall of China, which served as an important northern defense for successive Chinese empires, has a total length of over 20,000 kilometers and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Its first sections date back more than two thousand years and were later extended to the ancient dynasties of China.

The damage was inflicted on a section of the wall dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), known as the 32nd Great Wall. It is also home to a relatively well-preserved watchtower and is listed as a provincial cultural relic.

Chinese authorities have stepped up protection of the Great Wall in recent years and cracked down on acts of vandalism.

In 2021, three visitors were detained and fined by police for scribbling on the famous Badaling wall section with a sharp object.

Later that year, Chinese authorities banned two foreign tourists from entering the Great Wall after they trespassed on an undeveloped part of the Mutianyu section of the wall.