Houston Community News >> Vendors Banned From Great Wall of China
3/17/2007- Chinese officials
have ruled that all vendors who operate on the Great Wall will be forced to
relocate elsewhere by the end of the year.
While souvenirs have been sold at the tourist site for more than 30 years,
China's Xinhua news agency reported increased damage to the landmark led to the
precaution.
In addition, the more than 30 vending stands and their customers are considered
an unfair distraction to the popular Badaling section of the wall in Yanqing
County, the report said.
Now the vendors who once operated on the Great Wall, along with the 61 stands
set up around it, will be relocated to a nearby shopping mall.
A county official said the evacuated space will be turned into a public display
celebrating the Great Wall's rich history.
Xinhua said the Great Wall, which traces its roots back to the
Ming Dynasty, attracts more than 130 million
tourists annually.
(Contributed by UPI)