A number of the original bricks had been carted away and used by the locals to build their houses and even chicken coops and pig sties.

In 1984, when late Chinese leader Deng Xiaopeng visited the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing, he called for joint efforts from all walks of society to help preserve the Great Wall, calling the ancient structure a symbol of an undefeatable Chinese nation.

In 1985, Ruan Yisan and Zhou Jian, both architecture professors with Shanghai Tongji University, submitted a master plan for upgrading a 190-sq-km area surrounding the Shanhai Pass.

The plan was only put into action in late 2003, with the support of both the central and local governments.

Since then, 51 specific projects, involving an investment of some 600 million yuan ($88.1 million), have been implemented to renovate this section of the Great Wall, according to Song Guozhan, director of Shanhai Pass Ancient Town Management Board.

They include the refurbishment of a drum tower and a bell tower in the central part of the old town, a south watchtower, a west watchtower, five archways and several Taoist and Buddhist temples, according to Song.

A further one billion yuan has been poured into the four main streets stretching south, west, north and east of the town; Ming-style shops, markets and other public spaces have all been renovated.

Nine years of efforts are finally paying off with the renovated parts of the Pass packing in tourists.

Locals too are flocking to the Wall for their morning exercises or simply for a stroll. The area has emerged as the place of choice for street shows of song and dance, or peaceful moments in the nearby restaurants, cafes, teahouses and galleries.

Young couples come here for photo-shoots in old-style courtyards.

"It is a historical responsibility of our people and our government to keep the Shanhai Pass safe and pass it on to future generations," said Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, during a recent trip to the newly renovated fortress.

The renovation will also boost the local economy, said Li who has been closely involved in the process since his first visit to the Pass in 2006.

Maintenance work on the "Old Dragon Head", the part of the Great Wall which enters the Bohai Sea.

Hou Dakun (middle) and Yang Yeming are one of many young couples who hold their weddings in the traditional courtyard houses.