Nanjing's 600-year-old city wall is again being put under the spotlight. According to a recently released proposal of a central park involving Nanjing's city wall, elevators will be built along the wall from Shence Gate to Xuanwu Gate to assist visitors in the climb.

Wang Zhenhe, director of Nanjing's tourism bureau, said that they wanted to make it easier for tourists to get onto the wall. The ancient wall in Nanjing is not fully exploited as a symbol of history and culture yet, the bureau said, and most visitors to Nanjing are thwarted by the tedious trek.

Two elevators will send people up to the wall, said Wang Jianye, a staff with the bureau.

Though the proposal is still under discussion, it has already caused much controversy, reflecting a larger, national issue of how to properly protect China's historical sites.

Nanjing's conundrum

The proposal reignites controversy over an elevator that has already been built in the west of Wuding Gate, located in a quiet corner. The elevator was built by the construction bureau of Qinhuai district at the end of 2007.

"It is not open to the public yet," a staff with Wuding Gate Park told the Global Times. She said she is unsure of when it will open.

The elevator, erected about three meters away from the wall, is in violation of the protection regulations for Nanjing's city wall, which states that no construction is allowed within 15 meters of the wall. Construction within 50 meters must be approved by Nanjing's urban planning bureau and the bureau of cultural heritage. Illegal construction will be demolished, according to the regulations.

Yang Xiaohua, director of the city wall management department, said that the bureau of cultural heritage asked to demolish the elevator, but nothing has happened, thus far. 

Nanjing residents are sensitive about the issue, as the wall is historically and culturally significant, standing through monumental events such as the Nanjing Massacre. It is also a main tourist attraction.

With Zhongshan Mountain in the east and Qinhuai River in the south, the 33.7-kilometer long rampart took Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), 21 years to build. 

Today, over 20 kilometers of the wall remains. It is the longest city wall in China. The wall was listed as one of the key historical sites under State protection in 1988. In 1996, Nanjing city government enacted protection regulations to protect the wall.

"Obviously, some departments didn't pay enough attention to the law," said Zeng Yizhi, member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites in China. To Zeng, the elevator is entirely catered to tourists. "It will affect the historical [integrity] of the wall."

Varying opinions

When the proposal was made public, residents were divisive over the decision.

One Nanjing resident recently wrote a letter to the mayor, stating that the elevator, which is constructed with glass, will damage the wall and ruin the overall aesthetics. Many find the elevator incongruous with the natural scenery. Some netizens oppose leaving traces on the historical site, as they fear it will erode its historical value.

Yang Guoqing, an expert in city walls, opposes the plan. "It will damage the authenticity of the environment," Yang said.

But some support the project. Zhang Yunqiao, a woman who lived in Nanjing's downtown Xinjiekou area, told Nanjing Morning Post that when she visits the area, she wants to climb to the top of the wall. But she cannot even find the steps. "An elevator will make it easier," she said.

Some Nanjing residents have voiced that the elevator would encourage an old city custom of climbing the wall on January 16, in the Lunar calendar, superstitiously believed to ward off diseases. 

Zhou Xueying, an expert of history at Nanjing University, said the priority should be to maintain the integrity of the wall.

"If built, it should be along the inner side of the wall so the exterior appearance will not be affected. It should be removable." He said this also applies to other important historical sites.

Walking a thin line

Controversy over the planned elevators along the Nanjing city wall is part of a larger question of how to preserve China's cultural sites. In China, just a small percentage of ancient buildings is aptly preserved.

Ge Jianxiong, a professor of history and geography at Fudan University, said that protecting historical buildings is a problem that China has never managed to solve.

Capital is key, and most local governments use the income from tourism as a main way to fund preservation efforts. But this usually results in modernizing historical buildings.

The elevator along Nanjing city wall is similar to the elevator in Hangzhou's Leifeng Tower and the cable car at the Great Wall, which many initially found appalling. 

Experts agree that exploitation is harmful. But historical buildings are often demolished and ancient walls torn down for lack of public interest. Both issues would be alleviated by an increase in tourism.

Wang Chunhu supported rebuilding the fortress on Zhonghua Gate at Nanjing's wall five years ago. It was later removed, for hidden dangers. "There are passive and active protection methods. The former maintains the original building while the latter actively pushes forward new measures," he said.

Zeng Yizhi said there is a thin line to walk. "The wall is already exploited, as people need a ticket to climb it. An elevator will result in over exploitation. We must utilize resources naturally, without eroding safety and history." 

Zhou said that measures of protection should vary, according to the significance and condition of historical relics.

"Few historical sites are treated like museums; they should be part of the social life while keeping their historical value and aiding in a cycle of protection."