Beijing plans to further protect its section of the Great Wall from excessive tourism by reducing traffic and the number of tourists allowed.
The plan covers an area of 326 square kilometres to the northwest of the city proper, including a number of scenic spots, such as Badaling - the most popular and renovated part of the Great Wall. Also included are the Ming Tombs, where 13 emperors from the Ming Dynasty are buried.
A major reform of the traffic system in the region is underway, said a notification on the website of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry.
Highways running through the scenic area will change their routes to trim traffic, except for the Badaling Highway, one of the capital's major passageways. Meanwhile, parking lots for vehicles and commercial buildings in the area will be moved to the outside, making space for greenbelts.
The remaining roads in the area, estimated to be about 48 kilometres long, will mainly serve tourist buses and nearby residents.
The initiative also includes a four-level program to control the number of tourists to the site to within 53,300 per day and 160 million a year.
Beijing is home to a 630 kilometre section of the Great Wall, out of a total length of 6,700 kilometres across northern China.
About 600 kilometres of the Beijing-section of the Great Wall are still "raw"- without protection or repair work. Tourists are strictly forbidden and limited from setting foot on these parts.
Visitors are welcome to visit Badaling and Juyongguan where repair and renovation work has been completed. It should be noted, however, that only during holidays will visitors to the wall be limited to avoid congestion and damage.
Villages surrounding the Great Wall and the Great Wall Museum set no limit on tourist numbers.