It's one of the New Seven Wonders of the World... each year millions are drawn to this ancient wonder, that stretches over 6,000 kilometres across 11 Chinese provinces.<br/> But away from the main tourist trails, parts of the wall are crumbling away, victim to dozens of small mines chipping away for copper, iron, molybdenum and nickel.<br/> Some are within a 100 metres of the wall itself.<br/> The Great Wall Society's vice chairman, Dong Yaohui, says there's little conservationists can do, as these mines hold valid permits, issued by land resource officials.<br/> The Land Resources Bureau blames small, illegal mines, saying they dodge law enforcement efforts.<br/> Each year, damaged parts of the wall are repaired, but Dong says this means the wall has already been damaged.<br/> He wants more enforcement and proactive measures put in place.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) VICE CHAIRMAN OF CHINA GREAT WALL SOCIETY & PUBLISHING CENTRE DONG YAOHUI SAYING:<br/> "Money is not the major issue in the protection of the Great Wall. For instance, regarding the mining issue, if you just put down a rule requiring that mining cannot take place within a specific distance from the Great Wall, would a rule as such cost money? No, it wouldn't cost anything."<br/> China's State Council has banned vandalism of the Great Wall since 2006 but critics complain this is not enforced in remote areas.<br/> Cultural protection experts say more than 70 percent of the Wall lies in ruins, with about 20 percent in good shape.<br/> In Laiyuan county, farmers have turned their land over to the miners and trucks that now rumble along rural roads, carrying away the excavated spoils.<br/> Local resident Tong Zhongrong says she's worried that the mining would take its toll on the wall.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 58-YEAR OLD VILLAGER TONG ZHONGRONG SAYING:<br/> "Ancient landmarks should be restored, and at the same time resources should also be extracted. But don't destroy the ancient landmark just for the sake of mining and for selfish profits - that is wrong."<br/> Mines are not the only threat the wall has faced.<br/> Bomb attacks during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) destroyed large sections, and villagers looted bricks to build roads and houses in the 1950s and 60s.<br/> Xinhua says a section of the wall in Hebei province has even been demolished to make way for a road.<br/> Arnold Gay, Reuters.
