Wu Chengwang, the president of Jinshanling Great Wall Tourism Development Company, has become the subject of online outrage following allegations of misconduct towards security personnel who denied him entry to a resort. The incident has sparked a broader conversation about privilege and respect for historic sites in China.
A video captured on June 22, just north of Beijing, went viral, igniting the controversy. In the footage, Wu is seen apparently instructing individuals accompanying him to topple a sliding gate obstructing his vehicle from entering the resort. His audacious proclamation, “How dare you stop me. I can push it all over if I want to,” was met with public disdain.
Chinese media outlet, The Paper, reported that Wu attempted to gain access to the resort via an emergency fire exit. A staff member of the resort emphasized to Xin Kuai Bao newspaper that no one is permitted to drive into the facility. The Post’s attempts to contact Wu for a statement remained unanswered at the time of publication. Nevertheless, a local tourism bureau confirmed on June 23 that an investigation into the incident was underway.
Zhu Yongli, a legal representative from Wu’s company, attempted to downplay the incident, asserting that Wu tried to push over a company-owned ordinary sliding gate, not a historic segment of the site. However, several online observers have criticized Wu’s supposed sense of entitlement and his alleged unacceptable behavior rather than any actual damage caused.
Some have drawn parallels with a 2020 incident where two women tried to drive a luxury SUV into Beijing’s Forbidden City, where vehicular movement has been banned since 2013. One of the women was later identified as a senior official’s relative.
The Jinshanling segment of the Great Wall, a significant historic and cultural site protected at the national level, has been in the limelight before. In 2005, it was reported that the site was being unlawfully used to host risqué rave parties. An inspection team from China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration found a private company, which rented the site from another company named Guangda, was responsible. Subsequent investigations deemed the lease invalid under the 2002 amendment to the Cultural Relics Protection Law.
The Jinshanling Great Wall, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) heritage spanning 15km, is co-managed by the Jinshanling Great Wall Cultural Heritage Management Office and others. Following the rave party scandal in 2006, the Chinese government implemented the Great Wall Protection Regulations, ensuring comprehensive protection of the 20,000km-long Great Wall and its cultural heritage.
READ MORE: