China’s Great Wall is disappearing due to people stealing bricks

AOL.com – The Great Wall of China may be around 13,000 miles long, but it is slowly disappearing, notes The Guardian.

CNN is reporting that “according to official statistics, around 30% of the Ming Dynasty section of the wall has already disappeared and less than 10% is considered well preserved.” Part of the deterioration has been attributed to environmental erosion, but another contributing factor has been people stealing bricks for home building or “to sell as souvenirs.”

As such China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) has announced a new campaign “to investigate the conservation situation of the Great Wall in each province.”

This new effort will reportedly consist of formal inspections, random checks, and a central number for the public to call about damaged areas. According to The Telegraph, “The checks will be carried out over the 15 provinces and regions that the wall passes through…”