A park will be built at the Badaling section of the Great Wall to help protect the great cultural site.

At the inauguration ceremony for the park, named the "International Friendship Forest," held last week, Phillips China Inc declared that it has joined forces with the Badaling Special Zone Administration and the US-China Environmental Fund to create the project.

The petroleum company will invest 5 million yuan (US$600,000) to initiate the project.

According to the master plan for the project, the International Friendship Forest will be located along the western edge of the Badaling Great Wall and will cover an area of approximately 40 acres.

It will serve as a conservation buffer zone to help protect the natural and cultural resources of the Great Wall.

Intensive planting of native trees and plants will help restore the ecology of the area.

The park's cultural program will tell the story of Badaling's past and present. Educational signs will be placed along trails. Guides in traditional costume will give the history of the area.

Visitors will be able to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Badaling while learning about history and culture of the Chinese people and the natural history of the area.

"We expect this unique park will be a model for how to preserve and promote understanding of China's culture, history and traditions," said Jim Mulva, CEO of Phillips Petroleum Company.

Wang Weidong, head of the special zone, said at the ceremony that the Friendship Forest is a key project in the Badaling National Park master plan.

Badaling attracts over 5 million visitors each year. "The forest will be a buffer zone between tourist and business zones of Badaling," he said. "It can help to balance economic development and environmental protection in the area."

Roy Lyons, president of Phillips China Inc, said that the project is expected to be completed in October 2002.

Cooperation between Phillips and China has a history of more than 30 years.

(China Daily 06/07/2001)