Great Wall demands respect not pricey love oath
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-16 06:36

The Great Wall is being used to make money again. The administration office of the Juyongguan section of the wall, to the north of Beijing, built a Great Wall of Love at the foot of the genuine Great Wall.

A Great Wall of love at the foot of the genuine Juyongguan section of the wall was built to attract couples to inscribe their love oath into fake Great Wall stones. [Xinhua]

The office has begun to take money from couples that want to have an oath of love carved on to fake Great Wall stones. Two couples did so on Valentine's Day.

The love wall is reminiscent of another business event held last year.

In July, a crazy rave party was staged at a segment of the Great Wall at Jinshanling in Hebei Province. Some participants were involved in such indecent and illegal activities as urinating and drug abuse on the wall.

Unlike the crazy night party last year the new gimmick will not damage the Great Wall physically.

Nevertheless, organizers of the party and builders of the love wall share one thing in common a lack of respect for this precious cultural relic, said the large online community.

Marketing hot shots that dreamt up the love wall said proceeds from selling the Great Wall bricks would actually be used to protect the real wall. They also said the love wall would distract those that would otherwise inscribe words on the real wall.

Both arguments are weak.

Protection of the Great Wall should be fully financed by the government. The function of a fake Great Wall as distracting graffiti carvers is also very dubious.

The arguments are indeed a disguise for the purpose of making money.

A separate building erected right next to the Great Wall is by no means a bonus for the Great Wall itself.

What is more, unbridled, tasteless business operations like the party and the love wall blemish this great cultural relic.

Departments for cultural relics protection should take action.

Not that all business activities at the Great Wall should be banned. But they must be properly regulated to make sure business activities do not damage the wall itself or its image.

The wild Jinshanling party has already triggered public uproar about loopholes in relics protection.

Investigative journalists have discovered the administration of some stretches of the Great Wall has been transferred to private companies, which is the source of many problems.

But related departments have never given a full explanation of the event.

The launch of the love wall indicates the loopholes have not been closed.

It is time to take action to stop damaging our cultural heritage for monetary gain.

(China Daily 02/16/2006 page4)