This Day, That Year

Item from Sept 21, 1987, in China Daily: More than 30 people with various disabilities visited the Great Wall yesterday.

The tour was organized by the Beijing Sanyue Service Center for the Disabled.

Access to Beijing’s most famous section of the Great Wall has been made easier with two lifts and a wheelchair ramp, installed ahead of the 2008 Paralympics in the capital.

Barrier-free access allows the disabled to ascend to the Badaling section of the Wall, which has one of the best views of the structure meandering on mountain ridges.

Facilities have been built at other key sights.

At the 600-year-old Imperial Palace, or Forbidden City, a 1-km barrier-free pathway allows visitors using wheelchairs to go down along the central axis of the palace.

Elevators have also been installed in three main buildings at the Imperial Palace to allow people a bird’s-eye view.

For the past few years, the municipal government has invested tens of millions of yuan in barrierfree facilities in the capital’s tourist attractions, making life easier for the disabled visitors.

Barrier-free buses and taxis are also available in the city. Braille signboards and route maps have also been placed to meet the needs of the visually impaired.

Wheelchair facilities have also been installed at subway stations.

In 2012, the central government implemented a regulation to guarantee construction of barrier-free public facilities.