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Great Wall Section Damaged by Two Decades of Mine Waste Dumping
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News18•27-09-2026, 17:45
Great Wall Section Damaged by Two Decades of Mine Waste Dumping
- •A remote Ming-era section of China's Great Wall in Ningwu county, Shanxi province, has been damaged by 20 years of coal-mining waste dumping.
- •The ancient structure was used as a shortcut to dispose of slag, despite repeated warnings from whistle-blowers.
- •Damage to the Guojiayao section began in 2007 when an unlicensed miner, Ningwu Chaokai Coal Industry, dug a trench through the wall.
- •Local authorities reportedly failed to respond to whistle-blower reports starting in 2015, allowing the vandalism to persist for nearly two decades.
- •The damage has resulted in a six-meter (19-foot) gap in the iconic World Cultural Heritage site.
Key Questions Answered
An unlicensed miner, Ningwu Chaokai Coal Industry, dug a trench through the ancient Ming-era stretch to dispose of excavation waste. For nearly 20 years, this remote section in Ningwu county, Shanxi province, was used as a shortcut to dump slag, leaving a six-metre gap in the wall.
The damage to the Guojiayao section of the Great Wall began in 2007 when an unlicensed miner started digging a trench through the structure to dispose of excavation waste.
Local authorities failed to respond to repeated whistle-blower reports that began in 2015, allowing the vandalism and dumping of coal-mining waste to persist for nearly two decades.
