Repair work starts on 'wild Great Wall'

BEIJING -- Beijing has started repairing the eastern part of the Jiankou section of the Great Wall, local authorities said.

The repair work started on April 17 and is expected to be completed by the end of this year, according to the Huairou district government of Beijing.

The length of the renovation on the eastern part is about 1,094 meters, including eight towers.

The Jiankou section is located in the northern Huairou district of the city. It is one of the most dangerous parts of the Great Wall and called by mountain hikers as "the wild Great Wall."

In recent years, Beijing has been focused on repairing the Jiankou section of the Great Wall, and repairs with a total length of 2,232 meters, including 11 towers have been completed.

With a total length of 7,952 meters, the Jiankou Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was once neglected and became damaged over time.

The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of many interconnected walls. Beijing has planned to comprehensively protect and develop the Great Wall Cultural Belt, with a total area of 4,929.29 square km, which includes both heritage protection and ecological conservation.