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A section of the Great Wall in North China's Hebei Province was left over with rubbish and urine odor after an overnight party recently, prompting calls for legislation on the protection of one of the country's symbols, Beijing Morning Post reported Monday.
The China Great Wall Association confirmed previous reports that a group of Chinese and overseas youth staged a carnival on the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall between the borders of Hebei Province and Beijing July 30.
"The party gradually come to a close at about 6:00am in the morning and piles of rubbish, wine bottles can be seen on the Great Wall, " a reporter taking part of the event said, "When a breeze goes past, you can smell the odor of vomits and urine," according to the report.
Many people saw this as a desecration to the Great Wall which was widely regarded as a cultural symbol for the Chinese nation, urging the State to issue nationwide rules on its protection.
"The party severely damaged the image of the Great Wall which is a world cultural heritage. We should visit it with respect and love, instead of desecrating it, " said Dong Yaohui, secretary general of the China Great Wall Association.
Actually, this is the eighth time for such a party to be held on the Great Hall, but the first time to catch media attention, the report said. Youngsters from China and overseas gathered every year on the Jinshanling Great Wall for vigorous dance, strong music and vine overnight.
In 1997, the Jinshanling part of the Great Wall was rented by local government to a company for 6 million yuan (US $ 740,000) in a 50-year deal, the report said.
A staff from the company said the part of the Great Wall was still operating as usual and she knew little about the overnight carnival. The person in charge was out of town and could not be reached for comment.
There is currently no law or regulation to stop this abuse of the Great Wall, according to Dong Yaohui.
Beijing issued a rule against the commercial use of the Great Wall in August, 2003. However, it can only apply to Beijing Municipality and is the only one in this regard in the country. The Jinshanling section is under the jurisdiction of Hebei Province.
Dong revealed that the country will soon release laws and regulations on the Great Wall protection, outlining rules on the management and commercial use of the cultural heritages.
(China.com.cn August 9, 2005)
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