“At the farthest end of the Great Wall, Yang Yongfu limps along the section he arduously restored, in effect ‘privatising’ it and putting himself on a collision course with the authorities. The farmer spent five million yuan ($800,000) and years of backbreaking work renovating several hundred metres of the national symbol deep in northwestern China, turning it into a tourist site. He set up an entrance area for tourists, complete with a car park and fishpond, and his wife Tao Huiping collects the 25 yuan admittance fee at the ticket booth — a table in the open air. A 2006 law gave the government the exclusive right to manage national relics — making Yang’s project illegal.”
Related posts:
Sergey Brin says Google 'failed to be on the bleeding edge' of blockchain
News junkie's open-source project links Bitcoin with publishers
China’s shadow banking reform faces its first test
Gibson Is Off the Feds' Hook. Who's Next?
'River of blood' after drone crashes into Australian athlete
Street artist whose mock ads claimed NYPD used spy drones is busted
SpaceShipTwo edges closer to powered flight
In U.S., 65% Dissatisfied With How Gov't System Works
Ex-deputy gets one month sentence for stealing while evicting tenants
German Exhibit Hall Designed By Algorithms, Manufactured By Robots
Ex-Comptroller General Walker: 'Fiscal Cliff,' Here We Come
ECB's Weidmann: pressure on central banks risks FX competition
75-year-old soybean farmer sees Monsanto lawsuit reach U.S. Supreme Court
Record labels ask UK broadband providers to collect data on illegal downloads
Rand Paul: Syria lacks security connection