[imagesource:unsplash]

As far as workplace stuff-ups go, this one really takes the cake.

A section of China’s iconic Great Wall that passes through central Shanxi province has suffered severe damage, inflicted by construction workers who used an excavator to carve through its ancient stones.

The destruction of parts of the heritage site were reportedly due to an attempt to create a shortcut for the workers’ construction project. A literal cutting of corners, as it were.

Two suspects have been detained by local authorities, a 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman who had been working in the vicinity of the 32nd Great Wall segment.

The pair of workers went ham on a small existing cavity in the Great Wall with an excavator, opening up a huge space to allow for their equipment to pass through and to reduce the distance they needed to travel for their work.

Unfortunately this make-shift through-fare revealed itself not to be a sneaky side-road to save time, but an act of vandalism against a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Big whoops.

Police have expressed anger over the incident, citing “irreversible damage to the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and to the safety of the cultural relics”.

The Great Wall, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, has been built and rebuilt over centuries, and it impressively stretches from its origins around 220 BC through to the Ming Dynasty in the 1600s, when it became the largest military structure in the world.

Today, much of what remains of the Great Wall is attributed to the Ming Dynasty and is often referred to as the Ming Great Wall, like the section attacked by impatient workers.

Unfortunately, destruction of pieces of the Wall is not an uncommon occurrence. According to a 2016 report from the Beijing Times, over 30% of the Ming Great Wall has vanished entirely, with only 8% considered well-preserved. No wonder authorities were so upset; parts of the beautiful architectural Chinese feat are in danger of becoming ‘ruins’.

Let this be a lesson to those who think the shortest route is a straight line – you could be paying dearly for a shortcut if you don’t keep your wits about you.

[source:bbc]