China on Thursday issued a comprehensive plan to establish a long-term mechanism for the conservation of the Great Wall, official media reported.
The plan was jointly publicised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Built from the third century BC to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall stretches over 21,000-kms.
There are currently 43,000 sites on the Great Wall and include 10,000 wall sections, 1,700 trench/moat sections, 30,000 examples of architecture as well as 2,200 passes and fortresses, according to the conservation plan.
The sites of the Great Wall cover 404 counties over 15 provincial-level regions in China.
An official said there was a need to strengthen government's role in protecting the Great Wall.
"The government's role in protecting the Great Wall should be strengthened," Liu Yuzhu, head of SACH, was quoted as saying in the report.
"Sections of the Great Wall built during the Qin (221 BC to 206 BC), Han (202 BC to 220 AD) and Ming (1368 AD to 1644 AD) dynasties were the key areas to be conserved," Liu said.
He also urged individuals and relevant social organisations to provide not-for-provide service for the Great Wall.
The Great Wall was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.
Over four million tourists visit the Great Wall every year as it is the centre of China's tourism campaign.
