Great Wall graffiti gets free hand

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Mutianyu, a popular section of the Great Wall, now has a designated area for graffiti to better protect it after media reported that many foreign tourists left their words on the old buildings.

Mutianyu, one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, is located in Huairou district, 70 km northeast of central Beijing.

This section of the Great Wall has frequently been the target of graffiti in English and other languages, according to a statement from the district's publicity department on Sunday.

In fact, more foreign languages appear than Chinese, a report published by Beijing Evening News said on Friday. The No 5 Fighting Tower building is a popular spot for leaving graffiti, with most of it in English, the report said.

For many foreign tourists, Mutianyu is their first choice for seeing the Great Wall in Beijing.

As a key national cultural relics site, Mutianyu attracts many tourists every year, with 40 percent from foreign countries, according to the publicity department.

For years, the administration office of Mutianyu had arranged routine patrol teams to discourage tourists from graffiti writing. Anti-graffiti signs were also added.

Meanwhile, the cultural relics protection department was ordered to restore the defaced buildings.

Yet graffiti has remained a problem at Mutianyu, administrators said.

To address it, they established a free graffiti zone for tourists in the No 14 Fighting Tower building.

The office said it plans to set up two more areas, in fighting towers No 5 and No 10, for tourists to carve or write their names in the future.

An electronic graffiti board is also being considered, it said.

Questions:

1. What section of the Great Wall now has a designated area for graffiti?

2. How far is it from Beijing?

3. What percentage of visitors are from outside China?

Answers:

1. Mutianyu.

2. 70 km northeast of central Beijing.

3. Mutianyu attracts many tourists every year, with 40 percent from foreign countries.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.