Even at 80, Mei Jingtian continues to patrol the Shixiaguan section of the Great Wall. With over four decades of experience under his belt, he skillfully taps the overgrown ground along the way with a wooden stick, alerting wild animals to his presence to ensure his safety.

Mei lives in Shixia, a village nestled near the 8.6-kilometer stretch of the Shixiaguan section of the Great Wall in the suburban Yanqing district of Beijing, the oldest part of which dates back to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577).

Shixia village residents have a deep affection for the wall. Mei remembers when he ran and played hide-and-seek with his friends on the imposing structure as a child.

However in 1979, when he returned to Shixia after working outside for years, he was stunned by the destruction to the ancient wall. "Some residents even took bricks from it to build their houses," Mei says.

To help protect the wonder, Mei volunteered as a guardian, patrolling 20 km each day to dissuade people from taking bricks, scribbling on the wall or dropping litter.

"My family worried that it would be dangerous to hike in the mountains by myself, so I always took a wooden stick with me to drive the wild animals away," Mei says.

In 1984, a Great Wall protection campaign was launched in Beijing and was quickly picked up by villagers in Shixia. Realizing the significance of heritage protection, more and more of them returned the bricks they had taken and joined Mei on patrol.

In 2006, and then head of the village, Mei helped set up a local volunteer protection association, and about 80 of the village's 100 or so residents joined as guardians.

Inspired by her uncle, Mei's niece Liu Hongyan, followed in his footsteps and officially became a Great Wall guardian in 2019.

"When I was a child, my uncle always told me his patrol stories and talked about the history of the Great Wall," Liu says. "It is my mission and responsibility to protect cultural heritage."

China has continued to step up efforts to protect the Great Wall. From 2015 to 2023, the country approved 289 protection and maintenance projects, and more than 6,800 guardians nationwide are dedicated to protection work.

Today, more advanced technology has been adopted for protection. At the Badaling scenic area, which is one of the most popular sections of the wall, a drone patrol platform and intelligent scenic area management platform play vital roles in this effort.

According to Liu Manli, deputy director of the Yanqing cultural heritage bureau, the two platforms will be upgraded in terms of resource sharing, process coordination and data analysis.

The Shixiaguan section of the Great Wall has not yet been opened to the public. "It is my biggest wish to see heritage well-preserved and available to visit, encouraging more people to join us in protecting the Great Wall," Mei says.