Iconic section of Great Wall in Beijing to be renovated this year

Great Wall conservation workers will start a renovation project later this year on part of the Badaling section of the wall in suburban Beijing, reported Xinhua.

The research-based renovation project will start in the spring along an area of the wall over 700 meters in length. The project is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 2024 when the Badaling Great Wall section will be fully connected, meaning its total length will reach more than 20 km, said Yu Haikuan, deputy director of the cultural heritage protection department of Yanqing District in northern Beijing.

As one of the most popular sections of the Great Wall, the Badaling scenic area was first opened to tourists in 1958, and has since received more than 200 million visitors from home and abroad.

The Great Wall has a total length of over 20,000 km and consists of many interconnected walls, spanning 15 provincial-level regions including Beijing, Hebei and Inner Mongolia in the north, and Gansu and Xinjiang in the northwest.

Yanqing District of Beijing contains considerable Great Wall resources with the total length of the wall reaching 179.2 km, while including wall sections made with bricks, stones and earth materials. Among these different structural types, the sections of brick-and-stone are considered most magnificent.

Research carried out and experience gained during this year's renovation efforts will provide important support for future Great Wall protection and restoration work, said Yu.