Beijing
The Great Wall of China is disintegrating, China’s official news agency said this week. Once nearly 4,000 miles long, the wall has shrunk by two-thirds, largely because of centuries of pilfering by farmers and workmen who used the stones for their own projects. The wall was begun in 221 B.C., as a defensive structure made of earth. It was further built up, with elaborate stonework, from the 14th to the 17th century, under the Ming dynasty. The government blamed the increasing deterioration on “booming tourism and development, and lack of funds for protection.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
‘Poor time management isn’t just an inconvenience’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
