Restorations on a stretch of the Great Wall in Liaoning province have turned it into what looks like an elevated concrete pathway. Chinese are pouring on the scorn and ridicule on social media.

It's like a face-lift gone wrong.

This was once known as one of the most beautiful sections of the "wild", or unrestored, Great Wall.

The eight-kilometer Xiaohekou stretch in Northeast China's Liaoning province was built in 1381 during the Ming Dynasty.

Defensive works and guard towers were knocked flat as part of the restoration project.

Sand and other materials were poured on top as reinforcement.

The result has set off an uproar on Chinese social media.

"This looks like the work of a group of people who didn't even graduate from elementary school," said one user of China's Twitter-like Weibo platform.

"If this is the result, you might as well have just blown it up." complained another.

Local officials say the restoration was necessary to protect tourists from loose masonry and falling debris.

"We definitely put a priority on safety,  and we've taken the easiest measure, putting a 'protective cover' on a 'severely damaged' section of the wall," said a volunteer.

But the only protection they've managed is to keep visitors away from this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"There used to be many tourists visiting here, they came here to visit the wild Great Wall, but now the restored Great Wall has lost its characteristic and historic appearance, failing to attract tourists like before," said local villager.

The government agency says it will deal severely work units and personnel found to be at fault.  But the monument to ignorance is likely to remain.