Two people have been detained in northern China after allegedly damaging a section of the Great Wall with an excavator, according to local authorities. A 38-year-old man and 55-year-old women in Shanxi province were accused of digging through the Great Wall to create a shortcut for their construction work nearby, local police said in a statement. The damage was inflicted on a section of the wall dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), known as the 32nd Great Wall. Chinese authorities have in recent years stepped up protection of the Great Wall and cracked down on acts of vandalism. Later that year, Chinese authorities banned two foreign tourists from the Great Wall after they trespassed onto an undeveloped part of the Mutianyu section of the wall.

Source: CNN September 04, 2023 18:09 UTC