Hongshan Fort, an ancient Great Wall site at the foot of the Helan Mountains in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. [Photo by Cheng Fei]

On the steep ridges of the Yanshan Mountain Range, the Jiankou Great Wall stands resilient, bearing witness to the passage of time; in the vast Gobi Desert of the Hexi Corridor, the rammed-earth beacon towers of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) Great Wall maintain their silent vigil beneath the heavens. As an important symbol of Chinese civilization, the Great Wall not only represents the spirit of the Chinese nation but also plays a key role in preserving and promoting Chinese culture.

As early as in 2017, China proposed establishing a batch of national cultural parks based on significant national cultural heritage. The construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park was launched in 2019. It brings together cultural relics and resources from 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities along the Great Wall, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang, with the goal of building a comprehensive system for the protection, inheritance, and utilization of the Great Wall that meets the requirements of the new era.

Over the past five years, the steady development of the Great Wall National Cultural Park has led to phased achievements in the conservation of the Great Wall itself, while its cultural legacy has been imbued with new depth and purpose. Stretching across the land like a giant dragon, the Great Wall is now sharing the story of Chinese civilization with the world in an increasingly vibrant manner.

Testament to craftsmanship

The protection of the Great Wall's cultural heritage is the foremost task of the Great Wall National Cultural Park.

After centuries of natural erosion, the existing sections of the Great Wall commonly suffer from structural instability, cracks and partial collapses. In a race against time to safeguard this irreplaceable treasure, regions along the Great Wall are refining conservation plans, advancing major restoration projects, and shouldering their duty to preserve the Great Wall for future generations.

In September 2020, China's first Great Wall protection and restoration base was established at the foot of the Jiankou section of the Great Wall in Beijing's Huairou District. This restoration project has since been designated a national flagship initiative, serving as a model for conservation efforts of its kind across the country.