According to measurements from the Bureau of Survey and Mapping and the Institute of Airborne Remote Sensing of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, at present, sections of Ming Dynasty Great Wall within the borders of Inner Mongolia measuring a length of 157.515 kilometers have disappeared. These missing sections account for 22 percent of the total length of Ming Dynasty Great Wall in Inner Mongolia.

There are sections or remains of the Great Wall that were built in the Warring States Period as well as the Qin, Han, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, Jin and Ming dynasties located within the borders of Inner Mongolia, making it the province or autonomous region in China with the most abundant Great Wall resources. It is also one of the key provinces or autonomous regions for the national Great Wall resource survey.

In 2007, the majority of field surveys on the Ming Dynasty Great Wall were completed in Inner Mongolia, and in 2008, supplement surveys on some of the sections were made in accordance with the new standards and requirements set forth by the National Great Wall Project Group. The final measurements of Ming Dynasty Great Wall within Inner Mongolia's borders recorded a sloping-surface length of 712.603 kilometers. Sections with walls still standing were recorded as being 555.088 kilometers long, and sections that have disappeared were recorded as having a length of 157.515 kilometers. The missing sections account for 22 percent of the total length.

According to experts, so-called missing Great Wall refers to sections of wall which no longer exist above ground. Missing sections of the Great Wall make up a relatively large proportion. On one hand, this is caused by natural weathering, but more importantly, on the other hand, it is caused by human factors such as the construction of infrastructure facilities including road work.

By People's Daily Online