An extensive preservation project for the Great Wall has been launched by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"A survey of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Great Wall is in full swing, and repair has started for the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) Great Wall," said Mingri, deputy director of the regional cultural department.

Inner Mongolia has the longest section of the Great Wall of all provincial areas. It runs more than 20,000 kilometers in Inner Mongolia, Mingri said.

The project will focus on protecting the original architecture and will take two to three years, he said. The major work this year is to complete repairs on the Qin-era sections of the wall and investigate what needs to be done on the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) sections, he said.

The cost is estimated at 100 million yuan (US$14.3 million), of which more than 5 million yuan has been invested, Mingri said.

The Great Wall, mainly located in the central and western parts of the region, features architecture from several eras, ranging from the Warring States Period (403-221 BC) to the Ming Dynasty. Some sections, built in the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, are listed as national cultural relics.

"Most of the Great Wall has been altered beyond recognition by 2,000 years of history, which makes repairs a most urgent task," said archaeologist Wang Dafang.

The wall was China's line of defense during much of its long history. Different sections cover thousands of kilometers, passing through many provinces and autonomous regions, including Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and Liaoning.

(Shanghai Daily May 12,2008)