Another Brick In the Wall

Armed with selfie-sticks and mobile cameras the tourists invade the Great Wall of China, lured by beautiful postcards. Most of them are Chinese and they take great pride in being able to say that they have walked on The Wall.

However, you don’t need to travel far to realise that the restored sections outside Beijing are merely fragments and the results of 65 years of restoration work. Most of the 8,800 kilometres long wall consists of cracked clay, piles of dirt and sometimes only as small elevations in the landscape. In 2005 the Chinese government started a project for restoration and protecting the Wall. 

The Great Wall was supposed to provide protection from neighbouring kingdoms and has an important place in Chinese history. In 2007 it was voted as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Although it no longer serves as a defence, China has today found new ways to protect itself from the outside world. «The Great Green Wall» is intended to keep the desert at bay through active tree planting, while the online world is kept at a distance by «the Great Firewall of China».

Photostory published in Dagbladet Magasinet.

Crowds of tourists walking along the Great Wall of China, with rolling hills and mountains in the background.

Crowds of tourists walking along the Great Wall of China, with rolling hills and mountains in the background.

An outdoor scene with a brick wall, leafless trees, and laundry hanging on a line. In the background, a factory emits white smoke from a tall chimney against a clear blue sky.

An outdoor scene with a brick wall, leafless trees, and laundry hanging on a line. In the background, a factory emits white smoke from a tall chimney against a clear blue sky.

Dry desert landscape with sparse shrubs, a large rock formation, and a line of leafless trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

Dry desert landscape with sparse shrubs, a large rock formation, and a line of leafless trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

Stack of bricks in a dry, rocky outdoor area with a bare, stratified hillside and sparse leafless trees in the background.

Stack of bricks in a dry, rocky outdoor area with a bare, stratified hillside and sparse leafless trees in the background.

A barren, desert landscape with a dirt path leading up a mound, with electrical towers and wires in the background under a gray sky.

A barren, desert landscape with a dirt path leading up a mound, with electrical towers and wires in the background under a gray sky.

A man plowing a dry, barren field with a horse-drawn plow, with power lines and leafless trees in the background during a cloudy day.

A man plowing a dry, barren field with a horse-drawn plow, with power lines and leafless trees in the background during a cloudy day.

Dead animal, possibly a sea creature, lying in the desert with dry bushes and power lines in the background.

Dead animal, possibly a sea creature, lying in the desert with dry bushes and power lines in the background.

Animal skull partially buried in dirt, with dry grass and small rocks around it.

Animal skull partially buried in dirt, with dry grass and small rocks around it.

A rugged dirt road next to a large, weathered stone structure with dry bushes and leafless trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

A rugged dirt road next to a large, weathered stone structure with dry bushes and leafless trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

Large ancient mudbrick structure in a desert landscape with scattered bricks and a distant horizon, blue sky with some clouds.

Large ancient mudbrick structure in a desert landscape with scattered bricks and a distant horizon, blue sky with some clouds.

People collecting shells and items along a rocky beach with a large historic stone wall or fortress in the background under a clear blue sky.

People collecting shells and items along a rocky beach with a large historic stone wall or fortress in the background under a clear blue sky.

A flock of birds flying over a hilly landscape with a curved stairway or path and sparse trees.

A flock of birds flying over a hilly landscape with a curved stairway or path and sparse trees.

A person taking a selfie with a selfie stick while standing on the Great Wall of China at dusk, with mountains and the wall stretching into the distance.

A person taking a selfie with a selfie stick while standing on the Great Wall of China at dusk, with mountains and the wall stretching into the distance.