Following thousands of years of protecting the people of China from invaders, the Great Wall of China (one of the Earth’s greatest wonders) is in desperate need of repairs. With that said, the China Cultural Relics Protection Foundation has launched its very own crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds needed to make the monument’s repairs.
Launched on Wednesday through WeChat, the “Add Me to Protect the Great Wall” campaign, the funds from the initiative will go towards the repair of nearly one mile of the wall in the Northern China’s Hebei Province, Xifengkou. According to various reports, this part of the wall was built over 500 years ago during the Ming dynasty and was last used to cover against the Japanese Army in 1933. The cost of repairs is approximately 23 million yuan (around $3.4 million USD). Another portion of the Great Wall near the Jiankou section in Beijing will also be needing repairs, and the cost will be 15 million yuan (around $2.2 million USD).
Sharing details about the project, Dong Yaohui, Executive Vice President of the Great Wall Society of China, stated at a press conference earlier this week that while the Great Wall is world renowned heritage site, the wonder’s protection is currently facing some difficult challenges.
“Take the Ming Great Wall as an example: the total length of the Ming Great Wall is 6,259.6 kilometers. Currently, only 8 percent of that length is well-preserved. Twenty percent is under general protection and 31 percent has already disappeared.”
So far, the Tencent Charity Foundation (the organization behind WeChat) has donated 10 million yuan, and the first crowdfunding round is seeking 11 million yuan. So far, the initiative has successfully secured over 70,000 yuan. It is set to close on November 30th.
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