The UNESCO Inscribed "Great Wall"

[Solivagant]

Kim,
Yes thanks - the China Heritage Newsletter was indeed one of my sources for identifying the "mysterious" additional inscription of Jiumenkou to the Great Wall in November 2002! But it raises as many questions as it answers!
a. There was no meeting in November (or even as per the date on the plaque - October) 2002 at which Jiumenkou could have been inscribed. The Annual meeting for these matters met in Budapest in June 24-29 2002
b. China gained no "official" inscriptions or "extensions" (which have to go through an equivalent process as for a new inscription if they are anything other than very minor adjustments) at that meeting and the full minutes make absolutely NO reference to ANY discussion of the matter -let alone any agreement!
c. After the equivalent meeting in 2001 in Helsinki 11-16 Dec China had gained the inscription of Yungang Grottoes and this brought its number of inscribed sites to 28
d. Separate locations within a site do not in any case count as separate "sites". As already indicated The Great Wall already contained 3 locations which are not separately counted within the 28 above. Even ignoring this aspect of the counting there could only have been 26 inscribed sites, not 28, if the addition of Jumenkou was to be the 27th

However, during 2002, China had been the recipient of a report on the state of its Great Wall inscribed site -and this ONLY looked at Badaling, Shanhaiguan and Jiayuguan with no mention of any impending addition. Indeed the only mention of Jumenkou in the fully detailed report was in terms of a "Risk prevention Survey carried out on the Shanhaiguan section of the wall. Later, surveying and photographing and video-taping the status of the 13-kilometer Great Wall on mountains from Jiaoshan to Jiumenkou, compiling the survey report, and setting up archives of documents and photographs;"

The Shanhaiguan section is delimited as follows
"Shanhaiguan is located at the northeastern corner of Hebei Province, 40°37' north latitude and 119°51' east longitude.
Laolongtou (Old Dragon Head), the rock where the Great Wall joins the sea, is located at 39°57'59" north latitude and 119°48'41.5" east longitude, the elevation is 6.2 meters.
East Tower of Pass Town of Shanhaiguan is located at 40°00'32.5" north latitude and 119°45'11" east longitude, the elevation is 47.13 meters.
The Jiaoshan Pass of the Great Wall at Jiaoshan Mountain is located at 40°02'47" north latitude and 119°43'37" east longitude, the elevation is 444.4
meters.
If Jiumenkou were to be added it would have seemed logical to have added it to the Shanhaiguan section - but I note that it is described as being (Just???) across the border into Liaoning. So there MAY have been an element of pandering to provincial interests by keeping it separate -or else a genuine issue of who is responsible for its upkeep.