2 Workers Accused of Causing 'Irreversible Damage' to Great Wall of China While Looking for Shortcut

Abigail Adams
·2 min read
9

Police have accused a 38-year-old man and 55-year-old woman of attempting to create the hole while doing construction in the area

<p>Youyu County Public Security Bureau</p> Damaged portion of the Great Wall of China

Youyu County Public Security Bureau

Damaged portion of the Great Wall of China

Two people have been detained after a hole was created in the Great Wall of China, according to authorities.

Police have accused a 38-year-old man and 55-year-old woman of attempting to create the hole while doing construction in the area, according to the BBC and NPR, which cited a press release from the Youyu County Public Security Bureau.

Authorities allege that the pair used an excavator to open up a hole in the 32nd Great Wall in Youyu county, NPR and China Daily reported.

The hole was reported to authorities on Aug. 24, according to China Daily and NBC News.

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Police claim the workers caused "irreversible damage” to the Wall while attempting to reduce their travel time, according to the BBC.

The workers have been charged with damaging the relic, per China Daily. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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<p>Youyu County Public Security Bureau</p> Damage to the Great Wall of China

Youyu County Public Security Bureau

Damage to the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, according to the World Heritage Convention’s website. Construction began in 220 B.C. and continued through the Ming Dynasty, which maintained power from the 14th to 17th centuries.

Multiple people have faced consequences in recent years for illegally tampering with the wall in various ways.

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Most recently, a tourist was fined after using a hairpin to carve into the wall in August, NBC News reported.

Two years prior in May 2021, authorities banned a pair of foreign tourists from visiting the Wall for allegedly climbing onto an undeveloped section of the structure and ignoring a nearby “no crossing” sign, according to the outlet.

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