Paris, 20 September 2022 (TDI): United Nations Education Science Culture Organization (UNESCO) in its Travel Tuesday series featured the Great Wall of China.
It is noteworthy that the Wall was included on the World Heritage List in 1987. The Great Wall depicts the interactions between nomadic and agrarian cultures of ancient China.
This #TravelTuesday, come with us to China!
Inscribed on the #WorldHeritage List in 1987, the Great Wall reflects the exchanges between agricultural civilizations & nomadic civilizations in ancient China.
👉 https://t.co/K9KwHNTXm9 pic.twitter.com/EUkQn6FKeF
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳😷 (@UNESCO) September 20, 2022
The Great Wall of China: An Historical Overview
In 220 BC, under Qin Shi Huang, the Founder of the Qin Dynasty, a unified defense system against invasions from the north was formed; the Great Wall.
The Great Wall remained under construction until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) when it surpassed all other military structures in size. Its architectural significance is the sole factor that compares to its historical and tactical value.
The Great Wall has a total length of more than 20,000 kilometers. It was continually constructed on the northern frontier of the nation from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD as the major military defense project of succeeding Chinese Empires.
Furthermore, the Great Wall starts at Shanhaiguan, Hebei province, in the east, and ends in Jiayuguan, Gansu province, in the west. Its basic structure is made up of fortifications and passes along the Wall, as well as horse trails, watchtowers, and shelters on the Wall.
Additionally, the Great Wall in ancient China is a reflection of interactions and clashes between agrarian and nomadic civilizations. It gives major physical proof of the powerful military might and national defense capabilities of the central empires of ancient China.
Likewise, it is also a remarkable example of the exceptional military architecture, technology, and art of the time. Also, as the nation’s emblem for maintaining the safety of the state and its citizens, it has unrivaled significance.
What’s more, the tangible and spiritual components, historical details, and cultural knowledge that the Great Wall carries is its exceptional worldwide significance.
Apart from this, the 20,000-kilometer path along the constructions made during various historical eras making the complex defense system of property such as walls, fortresses, passages, and beacon towers, have been preserved to the present day.
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The wall’s construction techniques from many eras and locations have been meticulously preserved, and its unrivaled national and cultural value to China is still acknowledged.
However, the construction of tourist amenities as well as a cable car has adversely affected the aesthetic integrity of the Wall in Badaling.
Protection Plan for the Great Wall
The People’s Republic of China’s Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics lists each individual section of the Great Wall as a state or provincial priority protected site.
The special legal instrument for the preservation and maintenance of the Great Wall is the Regulations on the Protection of the Great Wall, which were published in 2006.
Along these lines, an important assurance of the thorough conservation and administration of the Wall is its series of Conservation Plans.
These plans have constantly been expanded and improved and include multiple levels from the master plan to provincial plans and particular plans.
While a harmonic relationship with sustainable development between heritage protection and social economy may be built, an effective comprehensive management system is expected to be established.
