|
Great Wall candidate for world wonders
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-01-05 20:34
The Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal are among the 21
global landmarks chosen as final candidates in the New Seven Wonders of the
World, the official website swissinfo reported Wednesday.
The Great Wall of China.
[File] |
The Swiss-based organizers, who unveiled the shortlist, have called on the
public to take part in an online vote to whittle the list down to seven. The
winning sites will be announced on New Year's Day of 2007.
The idea of creating a new list of contemporary wonders was the brainchild of
Bernard Weber, a Swiss adventurer and film-maker.
The original seven wonders of the ancient world were selected by the Greek
philosopher Philon more than 2,000 years ago. The Great Pyramid of Giza, which
is included in the list of finalists, is the only one of the original wonders
still standing.
"I believe that after more than 2,000 years it's time to redefine the world
wonders," Weber told Swiss television following the announcement of the
shortlist. "Thanks to the internet and telephone, for the first time in history
the whole world can take part in this process."
According to Weber's New Seven Wonders Foundation, the public responded
enthusiastically to the challenge, with 19 million people taking part in voting
between 2001 and the end of 2005.
For inclusion in the list, the new wonders had to be man-made, completed by
2000 and in an "acceptable" state of preservation. Each continent had to be
represented by at least one wonder, but there could not be more than one per
country.
"They should become symbols of unity in the modern world, just as the
original seven wonders were symbols of the ancient world," Weber said.
The shortlist of 21 includes ancient sites such as the Acropolis in Athens
and India's Taj Mahal temple as well as more recent constructions, notably the
Sydney Opera House and New York's Statue of Liberty.
|
