The Great Wall of China has finally been named as one of the new seven wonders of the world.

The Swiss-orchestrated poll has been constantly testing our nationals' nerves ever since it was launched eight years ago.

With the competition heating up last year, more and more Chinese were put on tenterhooks by the ever-changing results of the voting. At one stage when votes for the Great Wall lagged behind the top seven candidates, some even lashed out at the validity and fairness of the competition.

Now that the Great Wall has won, so has our national pride.

It was not long ago our national pride was also tested by the opinions of others.

The Great Wall was the subject of contention when an astronaut said it could not be viewed from space. According to long-held belief it could.

In both cases, the Great Wall has been the focus of much attention, which reflects how it is treasured and adored by our nationals.

Perhaps the most shining example of our country's long history and cultural heritage, the Great Wall deserves a sacred position in our hearts.

As long as we recognize its true value and greatness, we should not pay too much attention to the criticism of others. The wall, together with other great monuments in the world, which have or have not made the wonders list, have endured and will continue to endure the test of time.

In this regard, the global poll should mean more than satisfaction to us.

We should now devote more zeal and love to concrete actions to protect the Great Wall so that our future generations will have an opportunity to marvel at its construction and take pride in it.

Despite numerous conservation efforts in the past, the historic landmark still faces environmental and man-made problems that are threatening its existence.

Now is the time to re-evaluate conservation efforts to guarantee it remains a wonder.

After all, it is only those that still exist in the future will continue to qualify for recognition.

(China Daily July 9, 2007)