A draft regulation on protecting the Great Wall was discussed Wednesday and ratified in principle by the executive meeting of the State Council, with Premier Wen Jiabao in the chair.

The meeting proclaimed that the Great Wall is a world cultural heritage site and the symbol of the Chinese nation. Better protection of the Great Wall will help promote patriotism and play an important role in developing spiritual values.

The draft regulation on Great Wall protection conforms to the law on the protection of cultural relics.

The draft regulation said the protection and refurbishment of the Great Wall should adhere to the principle of "preserving the original appearance". A general guideline for protecting the Great Wall will be framed in the near future. The draft regulation defined the duties of relevant local governments in protecting the Great Wall and called on all sections of society to devote them to the task.

Commercial exploitation of the Great Wall will be strictly regulated, said the draft regulation.

The meeting said the State Council would promulgate the regulation after further revision.

The meeting also decided to release a draft regulation on the National Science Fund (NSC) in order to solicit public opinion. The regulation provides details about how NSC projects will be sponsored, supervised and managed, and on how to make applications.

The NSC is expected to play an important role in encouraging people to rejuvenate the nation through innovation.

The draft regulation will be further revised in the light of suggestions from the public.

The Great Wall stretches for 6,700 km, traversing Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hebei and Liaoning. Construction of the wall began during the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), when separate sections were built in scattered strategic areas.

Like other sites of historical interests around the world, the Great Wall is being threatened by damages caused by nature and human activities. An article carried on an April edition of the Newsweek magazine listed the Great Wall as one of the seven endangered heritage sites in the world. The article said close to two-thirds of the Great Wall became rotten and used for commercial purposes.