China will remeasure the length of the Great Wall with the help of aeronautic remote sensing technology, Zhang Ji, deputy secretary-general of the China Great Wall Institute, said on Wednesday.

Zhang said the program will provide an accurate measurement of the length of the Great Wall, which was first built by China's first emperor Qinshihuang, then rebuilt and renovated in the Ming Dynasty.

In addition, he said the program results will provide pictures of the Wall's overall layout, which is significant for the preservation of this cultural relic.

The current measurement is 7300 kilometers, but is probably not very accurate, he added.

According to the China Great Wall Institute, the previous measurement they took was based on a sum total of on-site measurements of all local parts of the Wall. The institute could not confirm when the last measurement was taken.

(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2005)