Well-preserved remnants of the Great Wall account for only 12.3 percent of its total length, estimated at more than 20,000 kilometers long. Most sections, built from China’s Warring States Period (475-221 BC) to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), have been eroded, ruined or demolished by natural and human forces. To protect the symbolic structure, prosecutorial authorities relocated nearby residents, dismantled illicit infrastructures and closed down manufacturing bases near parts of the Great Wall, by means of public interest litigation, an approach considered sustainable to ensure the restoration of the ancient walls. A protective belt for the Great Wall has been safeguarded by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, governments at the provincial level and volunteers. However, increased tourism poses challenges to Great Wall preservation.
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