News Brief

Damage Reported to Bureau

Three incidences of recent damage to Great Wall and violation of municipal regulations aimed at protecting it were reported by International Friends of the Great Wall to the Beijing Bureau of Cultural Relics. The incidents, evidenced by photography, were of clearance of land beside Great Wall prior to construction of buildings (Miyun County) , the daubing in red paint of tourist-related information on bricks of the Wall in seven places (Huairou County) , and smashing of signage aimed at promoting protection of the Great Wall and its landscape (Huairou County).. Materials were presented to Sun Ling, chief of legislative affairs, and Fan Jun, chief of the foreign affairs office, both at Beijing Bureau of Cultural Relics.

US Lecture Tour

At the joint invitation of Carleton College and World Monuments Fund, William Lindesay made a visit to the United States in January 2004 in order to make several presentations. Large audiences attended his lectures at Carleton College, near Minneapolis, and at the Explorer's Club in New York City. William also made shorter presentations to the International Council of World Monuments Fund in NYC, and at the Archaeological Institute of America Annual General Meeting "China Workshop" in San Francisco. World Monuments Fund arranged a press lunch for William Lindesay to brief local media on Great Wall conservation issues.

TOP

"Luye" Lecture

William Lindesay made a Black Yak-sponsored delivery of his presentation "Great Wall: Adventure, Research and Conservation" to members of Beijing's active outdoor club "Green Fields" on March 25th, 2004. About 110 people attended the 75-minute-long illustrated presentation in English which was interpreted into Chinese by Mr. Sun Xiaotian of Xinhua News Agency.

TOP

Tower Stability Study to Commence

Working with Tsinghua University's Department of Ancient Architecture and the Beijing Special Engineering Design and Research Institute, work funded by the Robert Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage awarded to International Friends of the Great Wall via the World Monuments Fund has begun on exploring for methods to stabilize watchtowers on sections of wilderness Wall. In early March the joint university-military team made some preliminary measurements of an important tower in Huairou. The tower, which still retains its overall structure, is showing signs of aging with the appearance of large and widening cracks, facial bulging and wash-through. Such problems are commonly found on hundreds of other towers and it hoped the project can produce a general conservation plan for prolonging the life of such towers that might otherwise collapse. Detailed work involving ultrasonic probing will commence in June and the final research report will be presented to the Beijing Bureau of Cultural Relics.

TOP

Black Yak Countryside Code

The first boards listing guidelines of environmentally-acceptable self management for people visiting the countryside were carried and put up by members of International Friends of the Great Wall on Saturday April 3rd, 2004. The Countryside Code was first promoted by the society and Black Yak from the end of 2002. In Chinese the code is translated as "Agreement with the Wilderness".

TOP

Boards Replaced on Wall-side Paths

Boards asking visiting to "Take Nothing But Photographs and Leave Nothing But Footprints" that were in November 1999 placed beside paths leading up to various sections of wilderness Great Wall in Huairou County are being renewed. During the more than three year period of use of the ten original boards, one board was stolen, three were smashed while six remained in fairly good condition. New boards feature the name of International Friends of the Great Wall, as well as World Monuments Fund, which via the Robert Wilson Challenge to Protect Our Heritage is currently funding the field program in Huairou. All new boards are held in stronger frames to make it more difficult for vandals to damage them. On Saturday April 3rd some 28 members of the society spent five hours working with the society's rangers to carry boards, cement and water to their places of posting.

The local official	The Boards	The Rangers
Set off	Setting up the board	Ranger' s great help
Finally finished

TOP

Strictly Protected Great Wall Landscape

The first batch of boards to notify people of the strictly protected status of the Great Wall landscape in the Beijing region are being placed along sections of Great Wall in Huairou County by International Friends of the Great Wall with the authority of the Beijing Bureau for Cultural Relics.

Direct Exchange with Experts

In March 2004 William Lindesay, director of International Friends of the Great Wall visited Professor Luo Zhewen, Cheng Dalin and Li Xiaodong, leading Great Wall experts and advocates of stricter conservation measures, to exchange views and update them on the work in progress of the society.

TOP