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)