Two construction workers have been arrested after digging a hole through the Great Wall in China and causing irreversible damage to create a shortcut.
The two workers – identified as 38-year-old Zheng and 55-year-old Wang – destroyed a section of the No 32 Great Wall watchtower – in Youyu County, Shanxi Province – in late August.
The massive landmark incorporates many different sections built to varying degrees of complexity but there are in essence 10,051 wall sections, 1,764 ramparts or trenches, 29,510 individual buildings, and 2,211 fortifications or passes, with the walls and trenches spanning a total length of 21,196.18 km (13,170.70 mi).
The duo – from the neighbouring region of Inner Mongolia – apparently created the gap wide enough for an excavator to freely pass through so they could shorten the distance they had to pass to get to the construction site they worked at.
Outraged locals reported the damage to police who soon tracked down the suspects and detained them.
The two reportedly admitted to digging through the iconic landmark – which dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) – for the sake of a shortcut.
The Shanxi Cultural Relics Bureau said in a social media post on 4th September the wall was damaged beyond repair and two suspects are being charged with destroying a cultural relic.
The Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most iconic and extensive architectural feats in history.
Stretching approximately 13,000 miles across northern China, it is a series of fortifications constructed over several dynasties, primarily to protect against invasions from the north.
This colossal structure is made of stone, brick, tamped earth, and other materials, and it winds its way through a variety of terrains, including mountains, plateaus, and deserts.
With its watchtowers, beacon towers, and natural defensive features, the Great Wall served not only as a physical barrier but also as a communication system in ancient times.
