A section of the Great Wall of China has been set aside for graffiti in a bid to save other parts being vandalised by tourists.

Authorities chose a popular stretch of the ancient monument where visitors can scrawl their names in the hope it will stop the spread of graffiti.

A spot on the Mutianyu section in Huairou County, about 43 miles north-east of Beijing, was chosen. It is one of the most popular tourist spots along the wall.

The graffiti section will be set up at one of the fighting towers that has become a common place there for tourists to scrawl on the walls.

It attracts millions of tourists per year, 40 per cent of whom are estimated to be foreigners, which explains why most of the graffiti is in English.