The Great Wall of China has finally been named as one of the new
seven wonders of the world.
The Swiss-orchestrated poll has been constantly testing our
nationals' nerves ever since it was launched eight years ago.
With the competition heating up last year, more and more Chinese
were put on tenterhooks by the ever-changing results of the voting.
At one stage when votes for the Great Wall lagged behind the top
seven candidates, some even lashed out at the validity and fairness
of the competition.
Now that the Great Wall has won, so has our national pride.
It was not long ago our national pride was also tested by the
opinions of others.
The Great Wall was the subject of contention when an astronaut
said it could not be viewed from space. According to long-held
belief it could.
In both cases, the Great Wall has been the focus of much
attention, which reflects how it is treasured and adored by our
nationals.
Perhaps the most shining example of our country's long history
and cultural heritage, the Great Wall deserves a sacred position in
our hearts.
As long as we recognize its true value and greatness, we should
not pay too much attention to the criticism of others. The wall,
together with other great monuments in the world, which have or
have not made the wonders list, have endured and will continue to
endure the test of time.
In this regard, the global poll should mean more than
satisfaction to us.
We should now devote more zeal and love to concrete actions to
protect the Great Wall so that our future generations will have an
opportunity to marvel at its construction and take pride in it.
Despite numerous conservation efforts in the past, the historic
landmark still faces environmental and man-made problems that are
threatening its existence.
Now is the time to re-evaluate conservation efforts to guarantee
it remains a wonder.
After all, it is only those that still exist in the future will
continue to qualify for recognition.
(China Daily July 9, 2007)
