BEIJING – In what many are regarding as a major restoration faux-pas, China has incomprehensibly covered a 700-year-old stretch of its Great Wall with a white trail of cement.

Under orders from Suizhong county’s Cultural Relics Bureau, Sina reported that the repairs were carried out in 2014 but have only now come to public attention. The repair job, which took place near the border of Liaoning and Hebei province, was made in an effort to restore parts of a deteriorating portion of the wall that is not open to the public.

Xiaohekou Great Wall after restoration [Photo: hsxiang.com]

Great Wall of China Society deputy director Dong Yaohui said that the restoration work “damaged the original look of the Great Wall and took away the history from the people.” He called for the Chinese government to regulate and streamline Great Wall restoration efforts.