චීන මහා ප්රාකාරය රකින්නන්
Guardians of Great Wall strive to protect great wonder
As the Great Wall, a great legacy of humanity, is being threatened by various factors, a growing number of rangers have been organized to protect the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Among them, Li Yong, who grew up in an ancient village at the foot of the Great Wall, loves the national treasure from the bottom of his heart. In 2018, he gave up his city job, returned to his hometown, and became a Great Wall guardian.
"I guard 27 watchtowers. I know everything about them. What worries us most is natural collapse. See, only a bit is left in the middle here. There used to be more bricks up here. They don’t fall off all at once. This (support frame) doesn't cost much. I buy steel pipes, weld them together and take my own measurements. It's large so I break it into three parts to carry it up the mountain. Once up here I use a wrench to reassemble it," the Great Wall Guardian said.
The Great Wall, as one of the world's great wonders, was built during more than 2,000 years of continuous construction, from the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-221 BC) to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The existing sections have a total length of over 21,000 kilometers.
To protect this historical and cultural heritage, local governments have recruited over 5,000 farmers, including Li Yong, to serve as Great Wall guardians.
In addition to patrolling the Great Wall daily, Li, with the help of Great Wall enthusiasts, has established a small exhibition hall that is open to visitors for free.
"Friends tell me that I get super excited when I talk to tourists about the Great Wall. I don’t feel it though. Maybe because my fondness for the Great Wall comes naturally. If possible, in the future, I will build an even larger Great Wall museum of 200 or even 2,000 square meters. I feel this is a great dream," said Li.
China has continued to step up efforts to protect the Great Wall. From 2015 to 2023, the country approved 289 protection and maintenance projects.
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