Giving preservation efforts a priority

Over the span of around 2,000 years, multitudes of workers contributed to the construction of the Great Wall. Today, countless individuals are still working to continue this endeavor, this time to preserve this icon of heritage.

One of the earliest and most influential preservation projects was the "Love China, Restore the Great Wall" campaign, initiated in 1984 by a number of institutions, including the Beijing Evening News, the Beijing Daily, and the former Badaling Great Wall special zone administrative office.

Xi Zhongxun, then member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Deng Xiaoping, then director of the Central Advisory Commission of the CPC, produced calligraphy versions of the campaign slogan, which were published in the Beijing Evening News, greatly enhancing its impact.

The campaign pioneered public participation in the country, and drew in individuals and organizations from both China and abroad, who contributed a flood of donations for the wall's preservation.

On Sept 26, an event to celebrate the campaign's 40th anniversary was hosted in Beijing's Yanqing district by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

In 2016, the administration released a document on the management of the wall's protectors, which institutionalized and normalized public participation in the preservation of the Great Wall.

Li Qun, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said in his keynote speech at the celebratory event that according to partial statistics, 72 percent of the fortresses along the wall have subsequently evolved into villages, towns and even cities.

"We want to mobilize and unite a wider range of forces to collectively protect the Great Wall, share in the achievements of its preservation, and infuse new vitality into preservation efforts," Li says.

Future measures will cover three main aspects — promoting volunteer action to protect the wall, enhancing public education on the importance of the cause, and ensuring that the outcomes of protection benefit the public.

The 2024 edition of the "Protecting the Great Wall, Count Me In" fundraising campaign was launched at the celebratory event. The campaign was initiated by the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation and the Tencent Foundation in 2016 under the administration's guidance.

According to Liu Yuzhu, chairman of the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation, the campaign marked the beginning of the foundation's efforts to increase public participation.

Over the past eight years, it has raised nearly 70 million yuan ($9.83 million). Liu says the money has been used in restoration projects along the Jiankou and Badaling sections in Beijing, as well as the Xifengkou section in Hebei province. The latest project is the ongoing fifth stage of restoration of the Jiankou section, which started in June.

This year, the Tencent Foundation donated 5 million yuan to purchase 7,481 gear packs for protectors.

"Public involvement is comprehensive and multifaceted," Liu says. "It not only to some extent fills the financial gaps in preservation work, but also includes material support, technological advancement, improving awareness, exhibitions and volunteer services. Regardless of method, all these efforts are aimed at protecting and passing on our shared heritage."

He says that while laws and regulations are encouraging more people to get involved, it is essential to improve participation mechanisms, provide accessible ways for the public to get involved, and strengthen coordination and collaboration among different organizations.

"The practice of Great Wall preservation has proved that it is impossible to complete the task solely by relying on government efforts, or the efforts of a particular institution or organization. Even more than 7,000 protectors cannot cover every corner of the Great Wall. Collective effort is required to protect our cultural homeland together," Liu adds.

College students also play a substantial role in preservation. Recently, the Beijing Cultural Heritage Bureau worked with the Beijing committee of the Communist Youth League of China to establish the Beijing University Student Great Wall Protection Volunteer Service Team. Volunteer teams from the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, the Beijing Union University and the Beijing City University were certified as volunteer service team subgroups.