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Wednesday, July 02, 2003

The crumbling Great Wall? 

Admittedly, the source is not the National Geographic, but Wired is carrying a story about the long-term strutural damage being done to the monument (if you can call it that).

Looking at the hoards of camera-toting tourists jostling for the best backdrop for their shots there, it's hard to take seriously claims that a structure that would stretch from Miami to Seattle could one day disappear. Dong Yaohui, secretary-general of the Great Wall Society of China, delivers the wake-up call. "Believe it or not, the Great Wall is crumbling, unable to withstand natural deterioration and calamities caused by people."

On another note, I wonder if the Great Wall still remains the only man-made object visible from space. I kept hearing about an artificial Japanese island which could be seen from space as well. onder what came of it. Does anyone know?