China’s Experience of Protecting the Great Wall: The Giant Linear Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The Great Wall of China is a cultural and spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation, and occupies an irreplaceable position in the hearts and minds of the people. It is an integrated system composed of a series of walls, beacons, watch towers, forts and castles and so on. The ancient Chinese incorporated rivers and precipitous mountains and cliffs into the design of the Great Wall as natural barriers. In 2005, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of P.R. China launched a 10-year national Great Wall research and protection plan, called the ‘Great Wall Protection Project (2005–2014)’. The work has included comprehensive field survey, protection legislation, documentation, management responsibilities, educational outreach, implementing special laws and a series of protection projects of sections of the Wall.