China to remeasure length of the Great Wall
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-02-17 16:32

China will remeasure the length of the Great Wall with the help of aeronautic remote sensing technology, according to the China Great Wall Institute.

A view of the Great Wall of China. For about 120 dollars, visitors to the Chinese landmark can now leave their mark on a fake wall stones built recently in the name of preventing graffiti on the genuine structure. [AFP]

Experts from the institute and the State Mapping Bureau will jointly carry out a program on comprehensively measuring and surveying the Great Wall.

Meanwhile, the Beijing municipal cultural relics bureau will organize a team of experts to explore current conditions and produce detailed information about the Great Wall section in Beijing.

The current recorded length of the Great Wall, which is 7,300 kilometers, is not likely to be very accurate due to the relatively backward measuring equipment and methods used in the past.

The program will not only confirm the actual length of the wonder of the world, but can also provide pictorial data of its overall layout, which is significant to the preservation of the cultural relic.