Damaged part of the Great Wall. (File photo)
(ECNS) -- With more than half of the Great Wall in Beijing seriously damaged and on the edge of disappearing, a British conservationist has called on China's universities to assist in research on the world landmark, Beijing Daily reported.
About 40 percent of the wall is only under "ordinary preservation" while 89.5 percent of it needs renovation, according to the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage.
Due to time or human activities, the Beijing section is at risk with some parts falling into despair, an official from the administration said.
He added that some visitors climb sections of the wall now closed to the public and also cause damage.
Management of the Great Wall is problematic and divergent since some sections are under the control of the local district government, and some are managed by tourism companies or villages, according to the official.
Construction of service facilities, preservation and travel routes are imbalanced due to a lack of coordinated development, he added.
British Great Wall conservationist William Lindesay said the biggest difficulty in protecting one of the Seven Wonders of the World is a lack of education and research in China.
He called on Peking and Tsinghua universities to take the lead in offering courses about the wall. More universities should offer courses about the Great Wall from a range of perspectives, such as geography, architecture, tourism and law, he said.
Lindesay arrived in China in 1987 to make a 78-day journey by foot along remnants of the Great Wall from Jiayu to Shanhai pass. He has been researching the wall ever since. For the past 18 years, he personally brought other volunteers to remove garbage from along the wall.
In 2006, he received the Order of the British Empire and met Queen Elizabeth II, in honor given for his efforts in protecting the Great Wall as well as in promoting the cultural relationship between China and Great Britain.
Related: William Lindersay: The story of a laowai and the Great Wall
