A monumental undertaking

To better protect the Great Wall, since late 2018, a research team from the School of Architecture at Tianjin University has taken more than 3 million photos of a section built in the Ming Dynasty that runs across 13 provinces and regions. Their mission is to preserve the Great Wall in a digital format.

"The Great Wall is an epic monument of the Chinese people. We hope that our research will not only provide support for the protection and monitoring of the Great Wall, but also showcase a more authentic and well-preserved Great Wall, enhancing its cultural allure," Li Zhe, a member of the team, says.