China's government body in charge of the nation's historic sites is hoping the Great Wall's topping of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" list will raise public awareness of the need for its protection.

After Saturday's announcement of the new wonders in Lisbon, Portugal, a spokesman of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) said the administration "neither participates in, nor objects to" the poll.

The vote was launched by NewOpenWorld Foundation, a non-governmental organization started by a Swiss businessman and adventurer Bernard Weber. More than 90 million people around the globe voted by Internet and phone.

After the Great Wall came Petra in Jordan, Brazil's Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru's Machu Picchu, the Chichen Itza Pyramid in Mexico, Rome's Colosseum and Taj Mahal in India.

Commenting on the poll, the SACH spokesman said since it was associated with commercial activities, the administration had little to say about it.

But he said it was certainly "a good thing" if the campaign could boost the public's awareness of the Great Wall protection.

Asked if the administration would increase funding for the protection of the Great Wall, the spokesman said the government's supervision of its protection was guaranteed.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Education spokesman Wang Xuming was dispelling suggestions that the authorities would rewrite school textbooks to include the poll result.

Wang said textbook changes required strict procedures and they would not be changed "because of some election or contest".

In May, the Great Wall had dropped out of the top seven list, but a last-minute drive by the Academy of the Great Wall of China (AGWC) to whip up public votes succeeded in putting it at the top.

The Great Wall stretches for 6,700 km from west to northeast China. Its construction dates back to the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), when separate sections were built in scattered strategic areas to defend China against invasion by northern nomadic tribes

It is the largest ancient defense construction that took the longest time to build. The Great Wall was of great importance not only to Chinese history, but also to humanity, said Luo Zhewen, president of the Chinese Culture Relics Society.

However, today, nearly two thirds of the existing Great Wall has been damaged by natural erosion, manmade destruction or commercial use.

Dong Yaohui, vice president of the AGWC, said the result poll would help greatly in the protection of the Great Wall. "The Great Wall was being damaged because there were still people who fail to recognize its importance. It needs to be protected by all, especially the people living nearby," said Dong.

Although the "New Seven Wonders of the World" aimed to promote global awareness of the preservation of historic sites, it drew criticism from the outset. Egyptian authorities described the campaign as purely commercial and lacking scientific standards, and insisted on removing the pyramids of Giza from the contest's list of candidate sites.

Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, insisted the seven wonders of the world should not be generated by a poll of voters with no expert knowledge. In order to guarantee its seriousness and authority of the election, it should be launched by UNESCO, and judged by scientists and academics after careful evaluation.

UNESCO has denied any formal connection with the poll. The organization had said the result was at the most a reflection of the opinions of Internet users, but not that of the world as a whole.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World included the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Colossus of Rhodes. Today, only the pyramids of Giza survive.
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(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2007)