Beijing to share more of Great Wall with tourists

Chinese tourists tour the Great Wall of China at Badaling, north of Beijing Saturday. (AP/Andy Wong)Chinese state media say two new parts of the Great Wall will be opened to tourists to meet high demand for one of the world's most famous tourist attractions.

Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday that Beijing's municipal government will open the Huanghuacheng and Hefangkou sections of the Great Wall to the public and expand the popular Mutianyu and Badaling sites in Beijing's northern suburbs. No specific dates were given.

On weekends and holidays, the existing four public Great Wall sites often are crammed with tourists. Xinhua says some tourists instead scale closed sections of the wall and cause damage to the historic structure.

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications built throughout centuries to protect the country's ancient empire.