From The Christian Science Monitor
For the first time Friday, it will be a crime to damage China’s ancient Great Wall.
For a national symbol so intimately linked to China’s international image, the Great Wall is in a pretty sorry state.
Crudely rebuilt in places to resemble a Disneyland attraction but mostly left to crumble unattended, the country’s most famous monument has suffered the ravages of both time and man. Now, for the first time, a nationwide set of rules to protect the wall is coming to the rescue.
Starting Dec. 1, it will officially be illegal to remove bricks or stones from the Great Wall, to drive vehicles along it, to hold all-night rave parties on it, or build houses right up against it, among other indignities to which the awe-inspiring structure has been subjected.[Full Text]
