A segment of about six meters wide of the Great Wall of China, located in Ningwu County, in Shanxi Province, has been severely damaged after years of use as a passageway for the waste from an unauthorized coal mining operation.
The damage began in 2007 in the section known as Guojiayao, when the mining company Ningwu Chaokai Coal Industry opened a trench through the Great Wall in order to expedite the transport of waste from a coal mine, according to the Chinese public broadcaster CCTV.
In the following years, this trench that cut through the Great Wall was used as a shortcut to move the waste, thus avoiding a longer and more difficult route, despite repeated complaints made to the competent authorities.
Starting in 2013, the gap in the wall was used by the company Shenda Chaokai Coal Industry and, since 2015, several complaints were recorded for acts of vandalism that were systematically ignored by the authorities, despite the regulations approved in 2006 for the protection of the Great Wall.
The dissemination of the case in various media finally led to the Shanxi authorities establishing an investigation commission regarding the opening in the wall, which resulted in the imposition of a fine on the responsible company of one million yuan (about 130,000 euros) and the detention of two executives.
The Great Wall of China was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to stop incursions from Central Asia. It is estimated to exceed 21,000 kilometers in length and is considered one of the great historical and cultural emblems of the country.