THE local legislature in Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has passed a regulation to protect the Great Wall in the region.

According to the regulation passed at a session of the standing committee of the regional people’s congress, Ningxia will hire patrollers to guard and inspect the ancient wall, subsidizing them at the salary levels of public service posts.

The regulation stipulates that all the construction projects and activities that might affect the safety and environment of the Great Wall will be prohibited. Severe breach of the regulation might incur a fine as high as 50,000 yuan (US$7,845).

The regulation will take effect in January next year.

The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of many interconnected walls. Regarded as the largest and greatest fortification system in China’s history, the Great Wall was built across the country during different dynasties to protect its territories and resist invasion from various nomadic groups.

Research shows there is 1,038 km of the Great Wall remaining in Ningxia. (Xinhua)