Beijing, Feb 2 (IANS) Residents of a Chinese village have built a safety wall on the lines of the famous Great Wall of China to restrict the entry of thieves in the area.
Residents of Aodi village in east China’s Zhejiang province have built a huge wall to ensure their safety, the China Daily reported. The 70-centimetre thick wall was built in a style similar to the Great Wall, with more than 70,000 adobe bricks and a seven-meter-tall iron gate.
The Great Wall of China was constructed in the 5th century BC in order to protect the country’s border from invaders.
‘The residents urged us to find a solution to the increasing number of thefts, so we decided to build a village wall to cut the number of entrances from 10 to one,’ Ruan Guolin, chief of Kengzheng village, which administers three smaller villages, was quoted as saying.
The construction of the wall cost about 500,000 yuan ($75,700), 70 percent of which was raised from the villagers.
The gate, open to the public during the day, will be closed after 10 p.m. and only authorised people can enter the village swiping a card given to them as key.
‘Each family has two entrance cards, and a security office by the entrance is open 24 hours to offer emergency assistance,’ Ruan said.
The Aodi village, with a population of about 270 residents, once had three sides facing the mountains and only one side was open to the public. A highway was built next to the village in 2007, which stimulated the economic development of the area.
In the past four years, most of the villagers have become wealthier due to the opening up of the area and the building of dozens of factories. In 2010, the average annual income of 76 families exceeded 20,000 yuan, while 60 percent of them have built private villas and 40 percent owned cars.
‘Thefts occurred extremely frequently as people are richer and have more expensive furniture, electric equipment and even more cash at home,’ said Ruan.
He said most of the families have been victims of thefts for all sorts of items including mobile phones, computers and cash.
‘The wall is very useful in preventing thefts, and everyone now feels safe to celebrate the coming Spring Festival in the village,’ he said.
