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Great Wall Of China: Man Who Was Filmed Destroying Part Wall Reportedly Turns Self In [Video]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 08:45 PST, Jul 25, 2016

A video that quickly went viral recently showed a previously-unidentified Asian man kicking and otherwise destroying part of the historic Great Wall of China. Not surprisingly, when the video began to spread across the Internet and around social media, viewers were outraged and disgusted at the blatant, willful destruction of a portion of the Great Wall. In the viral video, the man can be seen forcibly removing a brick from the wall; he then kicks a dilapidated portion of the Great Wall of China, causing another brick to fall and portions of the structure to crumble.

Fox News reports that the portion of the Great Wall shown in the destructive video is located in the county of Hulai, in Hebei province near Beijing.

Viewers who watched the video of the destruction of the Great Wall of China were fuming, and there were repeated reports that Chinese law enforcement was actively looking for the man seen in the brief clip. Anyone who vandalizes the Great Wall faces stiff penalties in China, and according to most people, the rules and possible penalties are both just and fair.

Punishment for causing harm to the Great Wall can include up to 10 years in a Chinese prison for those convicted. Taking bricks from the wall can also result in fines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEM7rovD-6M

Updated reports regarding the recent viral video of the destruction of the Great Wall of China indicate that the perpetrator of the crime decided to take the high road and turn himself in, saving Chinese authorities the trouble of seeking him out. Apparently, because the man (identified only as Mr. Zhu, a 49-year-old from Hebei province) opted to turn himself in, his punishment ended up being much less severe than it might have been otherwise.

As People’s Daily Online reports, the man who admitted to destroying a portion of the Great Wall of China says that he committed the act of vandalism to get a little bit of credibility and attention on WeChat, a Chinese messaging platform.

The penalty for Mr. Zhu’s inconceivable act of destruction is reportedly a fine of only $75 and 10 days of incarceration in a program known as “administrative detention” in China. Zhu also wrote a letter of apology to the Cultural Relics Bureaus in China in which he admitted his crime and begged for forgiveness. The viral video was recorded by two friends of the admitted vandal, but there has been no word as to whether the people who witnessed and recorded the destruction could be facing charges as well.

The Great Wall of China was completed in the 17th century and is the largest military structure in the world, stretching for thousands of miles across China. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other UNESCO-designated sites can be either naturally occurring or cultural and also include locations such as the Great Barrier Reef, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Machu Picchu, and Stonehenge.

The recent viral video depicting the blatant destruction of the Great Wall of China is only one recent incident involving the Great Wall. On Monday, an eBay user posted an alleged piece of the Great Wall for sale on the online auction site. The bidding was slated to start at one cent, but ultimately the auction was taken down by the person who posted it.

According to the Ebay user who listed the fragment of the Great Wall of China for sale, the listing was a hoax all along, and they never actually had an authentic piece of the wall in their possession.

Destruction of the wall is a serious problem, and it’s compromising the future of the World Heritage Site. Reportedly, roughly one-third of the original Great Wall of China is already gone due to human destruction and the impact of time and the natural environment.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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