Yanqing gives its Great Wall section a face-lift and creates cultural belt

Just 10 kilometers north of the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition, one of the most iconic images associated with China strafes the ridge line of the Badaling Mountains - the Great Wall.

Long a symbol of China and Chinese culture, the Badaling section of the Great Wall, in Beijing's Yanqing district is by far the most popular section of the 21,196 km ancient barrier.

With the Great Wall at its center, the Yanqing district government has put plans in place to advance the Beijing city government's drive to develop a unique Chinese cultural belt aimed at attracting tourists keen on learning more about the Middle Kingdom.

The 23.3 km Badaling section of the Great Wall dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but other parts of the wall itself can date back as far as 2,500 years from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) to 1878 in late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The government is planning to renovate an unpreserved section of the wall in Badaling running 2,500 meters and featuring numerous fortifications and guard outposts. The section of wall has not been renovated for nearly 400 years.

Huang Keying, head of Yanqing district's publicity department, said that despite its construction being for defense, the Great Wall is representative of peace and friendship today.

Since 1954, the attraction has been visited by more than 500 political leaders from around the world, becoming a crucial platform in international cultural communication, according to Huang.

A total of 179.2 km of Great Wall runs through Yanqing district. It is the longest section with the most different types of wall construction, including bricks, stones and clay.

Liu Manli, an official of Yanqing's cultural and tourism bureau, said the district has ramped up efforts in the construction of a cultural belt in recent years.

To date, the district has invested 280 million yuan ($40.76 million) to renovate parts of the Great Wall and repaired almost 20 km of it, as well as over 40 defense outposts, Liu said.