North China's Shanxi Province passed a regulation on the protection of the Great Wall at the 28th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Shanxi Provincial People's Congress on Monday.

According to a draft of the regulation released by the provincial government, it sets out measures including delimiting protection areas and construction control zones, restricting construction, mining, drilling and other activities that may threaten the Great Wall, establishing archives and patrol systems, and banning acts such as taking earth or bricks, carving or painting on the wall, dumping waste and driving vehicles across the wall, China News Service reported on Monday.

The passing of the regulation came after Shanxi had already taken steps to strengthen Great Wall protection. According to a release from the official WeChat account of the Shanxi provincial authorities in March 2021, Shanxi began implementing measures protecting the Great Wall in April 2021, providing a basis and guidance for the province's Great Wall protection work.

Shanxi is home to five of the 13 major passes along the Great Wall. The province has 1,401.23 kilometers of Great Wall sections built across different dynasties, mainly distributed in 39 counties, county-level cities and districts under eight cities, with a history stretching from the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC) to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The release from 2021 noted that the Great Wall, as a unique linear cultural heritage site with many scattered sections over long distances, is difficult to protect and manage, especially as most sections are located in remote open areas. It also cited challenges including damage caused by road and railway construction, improper tourism development, construction activities, nearby production and daily activities, unauthorized climbing and trampling by tourists, as well as unclear management responsibilities for sections along county borders.

To address such cross-boundary management challenges, the regulation establishes a dual mechanism of interprovincial coordinated protection and a joint meeting system within the province. The mechanism is designed to strengthen consultation and cooperation with neighboring provinces and regions, while clarifying section-based management responsibilities for Great Wall sites along city and county boundaries within Shanxi, per the report.

The need for stronger legal protection was also highlighted by recent damage to a Ming Dynasty Great Wall section in Ningwu county, Xinzhou. Local authorities confirmed in May that four people linked to a coal company had been criminally detained and that Shanxi had set up a special task force to investigate the case, after long-term unauthorized mining and waste dumping within the protected area reportedly caused the collapse of part of the wall section, according to media reports and Ningwu county's official announcement.

The Great Wall, a symbol of China, comprises many interconnected walls, some dating back 2,000 years. The existing sections have a total length of over 21,000 kilometers, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Yanmen Pass in Shanxi is a famed section of the Great Wall. It was a key northern frontier garrison during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), according to Xinhua.

Wang Zhenhua, deputy head of the Shanxi Cultural Relics Bureau, said the province will review the preservation status of the Great Wall and carry out maintenance, reinforcement, repairs and protective facility construction in a scientific and prudent manner while following the principles of minimum intervention and preserving the original state, per China News Service.

Other localities have also moved to strengthen Great Wall protection. Beijing passed its regulations on Great Wall protection in November 2025, while Hebei Province officially implemented its own regulations in 2021, according to media reports.