The Great Wall of China collapses after heavy rains

Bad omen The Great Wall of China collapses

The Great Wall of China collapses after heavy rains (Image courtesy: www.wotshappening.com)

Days of heavy rain have badly damaged a section of the Great Wall of China. Local authorities are now trying to repair the collapsed area.

The rain in the Hebei Province in Northern China caused massive flooding, and tons of water swept down from the mountains and swept away a section of the wall at Dajingmen, a local official reported.

The 36 meter long section is now being repaired. Workers are also reinforcing other sections of the Wall damaged by the water. Reports from experts say other fragments of the Wall, which has stood for centuries, are also in danger due to erosion and cracking.

The Great Wall of China collapses after heavy rains (Image courtesy: www.wotshappening.com)

The Dajingmen section, as well as the most of Great Wall, was constructed during the Ming Dynasty that reined in China between 1368 and 1644. However there are still fragments of the Great Wall dating to the 2nd century BC.

The Great Wall of China stretches from east to west along the historical northern border of China. It consists of a series of walls built of stone, brick, earth, and wood to protect the Chinese Empire from invaders.

Heavy rains have flooded parts of China since July, when the rainy season began in the country. A report from the Ministry of Civil Affairs released on Thursday says 112 have died due to the floods and dozens more are missing.

Engraved Chinese words found on 270 millon-year-old stone

In June 2002, a 270 million-year-old “hidden words stone” was discovered in Guizhou. A crack  in the megalith revealed six characters neatly brush-written in Chinese; saying “The Chinese Communist Party Dead[Zhong Guo Gong Chan Dang Wang].”

Every character is nearly a square foot in size. The character “Dead” is especially large. The characters are so clearly written that they appear as if they were carved. The official media in Mainland China have all reported this news – People’s Daily, CCTV, Guanming Daily, Technical Daily, Travel Satellite, China International Broadcasting station and 20 other media reporters including People’s Daily.Net, Sina.Net, Eastern Net, Sohu.Net, Yahoo, and New China Daily, but they have hidden the word “Dead” and only mention the words “The Chinese Communist Party”. However, the word “Dead” can be clearly seen in photos posted on the People’s Daily Online and Xinhua.Net.

Pingtang is a high mountain valley in Guizhou province in south western China. Zhangbu village in Pingtang County is a very scenic spot spanning over six square kilometres. The natural and beautiful scenery includes mystical mountains, rivers, rocks, caves, bamboo outcrops, trees and fish. The area is isolated, and has remained untouched for a long time. In June 2002, the Duyun international photography exposition recommended this area as a scenic spot for taking photographs. During routine cleaning of the area, this “hidden words stone” was discovered.

In August 2003, Pingtang County invited a geology expert from Guizhou province to investigate Zhangbu, who later wrote a detailed report. It was determined that the “hidden words stone” fell from a high mountain cliff. On the cliff one can see a corresponding gap from where the rock must have fallen. After the megalith fell, it split into two forming a gap wide enough to accommodate two people. The two sections are seven meters long, three meters tall and weigh 100 tons. The large brush-written characters of “The Chinese Communist Party Dead” can be clearly seen on the right hand side behind the fracture.

Three months later, the Chinese scientific culture inspection group for Guizhou Pingtang geological anomalies, was formed to investigate the “hidden words stone”. The fifteen-person team included Li Tingdong, who is an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, assistant director of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and an expert on Aerial Geology and Geographic Charts; Liu Baojun, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and renowned geologists, Li Fenglin, professor at China University of Geosciences and committee member of National Geoparks in the National Land Resources Department.

Experts believed that the “hidden words stone” is from roughly 270 million years ago, the Permian period. This “hidden words stone” not only is a world-class tourist attraction, but also has great geological research value.