Pic story of 63-year-old Great Wall protector in Hebei (2)

Li Dewang looks at the wall of a watchtower on the Xuliukou Great Wall at Xuliukou Village in Qian'an City, north China's Hebei Province, Sept. 4, 2020. Li Dewang, 63, is a villager of Xuliukou, where lies a section of China's Great Wall built dating back to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Since 2008, the 63-year-old has been a protector of the Great Wall and he is in charge of protecting a section that is nearly three kilometers long. Over the past 12 years, he patrolled the Great Wall almost every day while clearing rubbish and weeds, and reminding tourists and herdsmen to preserve the wall. Once finding any problems such as damages due to rainstorm on the Great Wall, he would record them and report to the local cultural relics protection department. This summer, he discovered a stele that could trace back to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which was later proved to be the best preserved and the oldest Great Wall inscription ever found along the section of the Qian'an Great Wall. Li feels pretty proud of his finding. Despite his old age, Li is delighted to do the patrolling work on the Great Wall. For him, it's a meaningful thing in his life. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)