China's first ever regulation on the protection of the Great Wall, which bans graffiti and driving on the wall, came into effect on Friday.

Individuals who break the regulations can be fined between 10,000 and 50,000 yuan (1,275 to 6,377 U.S. dollars) while institutions can be fined 50,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan (6,377 to 63,775 dollars).

Dong Yaohui, vice president of the China Great Wall Society, said in an interview with Xinhua that the Chinese government is highly attentive to the protection of the wall and the regulation further demonstrates the government's determination.

The Great Wall stretches over 6,700 kilometers from west to northeast China. Its construction dates back to the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), when separate sections were built in scattered strategic areas to defend China against invasion by northern nomadic tribes.

Experts have warned that the Great Wall has suffered extensive natural and human damage in recent years. Only 30 percent of the walls built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) are still standing.

The regulation, promulgated by the State Council, forbids taking soil or bricks from the Great Wall, planting trees, carving on the wall or building anything that does not protect it.

It also bans the use of motor vehicles on the wall and the organization of activities not open to tourists.

Meanwhile, it encourages all citizens, legal entities and organizations to shoulder legal obligations to protect the Great Wall. Those making outstanding contributions to the protection of the Great Wall will be awarded.

Dong said he believed the regulation will have significant impact on the protection of the Great Wall as it provides a legal basis for punishment of those who deface the ancient wonder.

China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage and its State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping have launched a massive geographical survey of the wall.

The survey will be completed by 2007 and the basic statistics of the Great Wall, including its exact length and layout, will be released in 2008.

Chai Xiaoming, deputy director of the cultural heritage protection of State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said the lessons learned from the promulgation and implementation of the regulation will help China issue more regulations on the protection of other ancient relics, including the Silk Road.

With over 2,000 years history, the Great Wall was listed as a world cultural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1987.

Source: Xinhua