Great Wall in NW China needs more protection

According to a Chinese saying, "One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero." If the opposite is true, there's no questioning how Fu Kaishun stacks up.

Fu, 66, a retired civil servant who is fascinated with the Great Wall, decided to walk the 100-kilometer stretch of the Great Wall located in Fugu County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, starting in 2010.

With just a crutch and a backpack, Fu has walked back and forth along the section of the Great Wall several times to record wear and tear on watchtowers and fortresses, as well as other natural and man-made damage.

"I don't have any other thoughts, but I just want to leave some research materials for later generations," Fu said.

The Fugu section of the Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and has endured years of weathering and erosion.

In 2010, Fu was the first person to count all 196 watchtowers along the 100-km stretch of wall. The watchtowers are all in extremely poor condition, with some barely even visible.

"The statistics collected by Fu are of great importance for the protection of the Great Wall," said Tan Yushan, the head of the county's culture bureau.