Man Detained for 5 Days for Vandalizing Great Wall

By Alistair Baker-Brian, June 16, 2023

A man who vandalized the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing has been detained for five days, and also faces a RMB200 fine.

According to The Beijing News, the 41-year-old man from Shandong Province, surnamed Zhong, visited Badaling on June 11.

At around 4pm on that day, Zhong was filmed by another visitor somewhere between the sixth and seventh north watchtowers engraving his name on the Wall using a key.

Watch the video below:

Zhong was arrested in accordance with China’s law on public order and security administration.

He is now on a blacklist, meaning he won’t be allowed to visit the Badaling Great Wall or any other listed scenic spots in Yanqing District for the foreseeable future.

Great Wall-related wrongdoings often make the news in China. Two years ago, two tourists from Senegal were blacklisted after visiting the Mutianyu Section in Huairou District, Beijing. The pair climbed onto a ‘wild’ section of the Wall which was off limits to ordinary members of the public.

In the same month, an illegal bus tour operator was caught taking around 40 tourists from South China to the Jiankou Section of the Wall – another ‘wild’ part off limits to regular tourists at the time. Those responsible were eventually issued with a fine.

The ancient Great Wall – stretching from Jiayuguan, Gansu Province in the west to Dandong, Liaoning Province on the North Korean border in the east – is steeped in over 2,000 years of history.

Given its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its ability to attract visitors from all over the world, it’s perhaps unsurprising that authorities go to great lengths to deter member of the public from damaging it.

On a brighter note for those who plan on visiting Badaling, night tours are now running seven days a week.

We understand that the Wall itself is lit up during this time, so don’t for one moment think you can get away with carving your name in it under cover of darkness.

[Cover image via Weibo/@梦宅1942]