Police learned of the damage to the Great Wall on Aug. 24 after they received a report about a large gap. A preliminary investigation concluded that the wall had been dug out with heavy machinery.

This photo taken Aug. 31, 2023, by Youyu Police shows what appears to be a path cutting through a section of the ancient Great Wall in northern China's Shanxi province.

Chinese tourists crowd in a bottleneck as they move slowly on a section of the Great Wall at Badaling after tickets sold out during the ‘Golden Week’ holiday on Oct. 4, 2020 in Beijing, China.

Posted: June 6, 2025 | Last updated: June 6, 2025 'New Great Wall Of China' Excavated. Archaeologists have been excavating a “new Great Wall of China” that stretches for over 4,000 kilometres.