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A cultural attraction dedicated to China’s Great Wall will become a national museum when it reopens in 2025 following an extensive renovation
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 08 Jan 2024
Credit: Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash
A museum dedicated to China’s Great Wall will reopen at the end of next year following an extensive renovation project that sees the institution set to become a national cultural attraction.
First opened in 1994, the Great Wall Museum - located in the most visited section of the Great Wall in Badaling - is currently undergoing work to improve its facilities and capabilities in collecting, protecting, displaying and researching the legacy of the World Heritage Site.
Following its expansion and renovation, the museum will cover 16,000sq m (172,000sq ft) - a significant expansion on its existing 3,200sq m (34,000sq ft) footprint - with larger spaces for storage of cultural relics, as well as increased areas for exhibition, education and service.
The development serves a dual purpose, as not only will it significantly expand and enhance the museum experience but it will also contribute to an initiative launched in 2021 that aims to build cultural parks along the Great Wall. The renovation also sees the museum become a national-level museum, with the aim to become an academic hub for Great Wall cultural research and an international destination for the exchange and learning of Great Wall culture.
Aiming to protect the Great Wall, the masterplan for the renovation work features minimal impact on the site itself, also focusing on green design that is low carbon and supports energy conservation. In an effort to minimally impact the site, the building’s structure will be aligned to match the terrain and landscape.
A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1987, many parts of the wall are in a state of disrepair, having been used by local people – particularly in the 20th century – as a source of stones to rebuild houses and roads. Much of the wall has also been lost to tourists, who illegally take pieces as souvenirs.
Such is its size and scope, the Great Wall of Chine is constantly under threat from damage and destruction, most recently making the headlines in September last year, when two construction workers looking for a shortcut used an excavator to dig a path through the world wonder.
The Great Wall Museum is not the only one of its kind. Last month, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region opened its first Great Wall museum, with the operation featuring more than 600 items across a 2,500sq m (26,900sq ft) space.
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