Beijing and Zurich, 7 July 2023
Today marked the unveiling of the Wonder Marker, the 3 metre high signpost that celebrates the Great Wall of China as one of the official New 7 Wonders of the World (N7W) as chosen by a global public vote. The ceremony took place at Huangyaguan Great Wall, Tianjin Province, one of the most spectacular and most popular Great Wall sites located 130 km east of Beijing.
Presiding over the cermony was Mr. Zhou Jidong, Chairman of Jizhou Travel Culture Group and Head of the Huangyaguan Great Wall, and N7W Director Jean-Paul de la Fuente. The event was marked by a series of parallel celebrations and cultural displays, including the showing of a stunning 77-metre-long work of art by renowned Chinese artist Xia Pengcheng created especially for the Wonder Marker unveiling. In addition, 7 couples were married as part of the ceremony.
“The Huanguaguan Great Wall is the natural home for the Wonder Marker, a proud and historic site for Tianjin Province, and we welcome all visitors, those from China and the world at large, to visit us and our unique Wonder Marker,” said Mr. Zhou Jidong.
Wonder Marker – A Symbol of Global Unity and Cooperation
Conceived by N7W Founder Bernard Weber as a symbol of global unity and cooperation, the Great Wall Wonder Marker displays distance signs pointing in the precise geographical direction of the six other New 7 Wonders sister sites: World:Chichen Itza (Mexico), the Roman Colosseum (Italy), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), Machu Picchu (Peru), Petra (Jordan), and the Taj Mahal of India.
In a video message to accompany the unveiling, N7W President and Founder Bernard Weber made the following statement: “With the placement of this Wonder Marker – which celebrates the New7Wonders of the World – we are continuously creating Global Memory of seven extraordinary examples of human creativity that everybody can and will remember on this planet, the legacy of which will be passed down to future generations.”
N7W Director de la Fuente also commented: “Today, Huangyaguan Great Wall and China are at the centre of the world of New 7 Wonders, with this unique Wonder Marker.”
One of the honoured guests at the ceremony was Mr. Dong Yaohui, Vice-Chairman of the China Great Wall Society, known as the “son of the Great Wall”, who presented his literary works on the Great Wall.
“As one of the few who has walked the thousands of kilometres of the Great Wall, I am happy now as I was when we were successful in being voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World,” said Mr. Dong.
The International Department Director of the China Great Wall Society, Mr. Han Guowei, added: “This is an exciting new chapter in the journey of the China Great Wall Society, from coordinating the successful campaign for the Great Wall to be chosen as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, to now having this unique recognition connecting with the entire worldwide family of Wonders.”
The Wonder Marker honours and celebrates the world’s first-ever global vote to elect the New 7 Wonders of the World, a campaign organised by the Swiss-based New 7 Wonders Foundation. The unveiling of the Wonder Marker took place on the 16th anniversary of the official declaration of the N7Wonders as . chosen by over 100 million people who cast their votes in a global online ballot.
The Wonder Marker has been installed as permanent fixture along the Huangyaguan Great Wall. Shaped in the form of a pointer symbol with six signs extending out in the direction of the other New 7 Wonders of the World, this striking and unique structure serves as an important landmark for all visitors to include as part of their visit to Huangyaguan Great Wall.