China's Great Wall is quickly disappearing, report says

BEIJING, June 30 (UPI) -- China's famed Great Wall is disappearing, and tourists, local residents and natural erosion were faulted for the damage, according to Chinese media.

The structure, which stretches for thousands of miles in broken intervals, had withstood significant destruction until modern times, The New York Times reported.

The Great Wall's fate, however, has quickly turned with China's economic rise. According to The Guardian, the segment of the Great Wall that was built during the Ming Dynasty has lost 30 percent of its original structure.

Lack of maintenance in key areas of the Great Wall has led to confusion over its actual length. Sources in China say it runs anywhere from 5,592 to 13,050 miles.

Interestingly, the Great Wall cannot be seen from space – a popular misperception about the UNESCO-designated world heritage site.

China's Beijing Times reported wind and rain were contributing to shaky walls and towers, but more modern culprits, including the zealous tourist and the profit-minded local villager, were behind the man-made problems afflicting the man-made wall.

Villagers in Lulong County in the northern province of Hebei were reportedly taking out thick, gray bricks from the Great Wall near their homes, and selling the priceless artifacts for $6 to $8.

The introduction of tourists into undeveloped parts of the Great Wall has brought more people into unprotected areas. Carelessness has led to severe damage, according to the Beijing Times.