I saw this story today (hat tip, CDT):

The Great Wall of China, built to withstand raiding hordes from the
steppes, is now in peril from a far more insidious threat: sandstorms
generated by desertification in the country’s north-west.

The wall
was built over several dynasties and despite its failure to prevent
invasions, it has become a national symbol. Each dynasty favoured
different construction methods, and a 40-mile section built during the
Han dynasty, which used mostly packed earth bricks, is now being swept
away.

The state news agency Xinhua has reported that sections of the wall are
being turned into "mounds of dirt" by sandstorms, the after-effects of
decades of agricultural malpractice.

 And I immediately thought that Confucius and Mencius would say: "good, let it go." 

      What is the Great Wall, after all, but an enormous military project?   And  Confucians are generally wary of military pursuits.  Remember what  Mencius said about Confucius:

It’s clear from this that Confucius
deplored anyone enriching a ruler who didn’t practice Humane
government.  And he deplored  even more people who waged war for such a
ruler.  In wars for land, the dead crowd the countryside.  In wars for
cities, the dead fill the streets.  This is called helping the land
feed on human flesh.  Death is not punishment enough for such acts.

Hence,
those who excel at war should receive the highest punishment.  Next
come those who form the august lords into alliances.  And finally those
who open up wild land hoping to increase profits. (132)

    Now, it might be argued that the Wall was primarily defensive and, as such, may have been acceptable to Confucians.  Perhaps.  It did keep the "bad guys" out, but it also provided a base from which some Chinese empires could extend their reach: its defensive purposes also served offensive ends at times.   Think of the great wall builder Qin Shi Huangdi.  He went to inhumane extremes to wall in his empire.  He was quite happy to sacrifice an untold number of people to defend his political power.  And it is just that sort of military-defensive attitude that runs counter to Confucianism.

     Better to let the wall crumble, to open China up to the world, so that humane practices can move freely across borders.  Confucius was not a nationalist, nor was Mencius.  They were moralists who had a universal outlook.  They were interested in civilization, not ethnic or national interests.  The Wall is all about conserving power for power’s sake.   Why not be more confident in the free flowing power of humanity?

       Keep some small reconstructed portions of it as historical reminders.  But, for the rest, let it go – that is what Confucius and Mencius would likely say…