THE Empire strikes back! The Great Wall of China, built to withstand foreign invasion from the north, is about to fall prey to the English - or rather, a daredevil English stunt rider.
Eddie Kidd, famous in Britain for motorbike jumps over rows of cars and double-decker buses (and with the broken bones and bruises to show for it) plans to jump over the Great Wall next month after two years of negotiating with the Chinese Government.
The Chinese authorities, who when faced with this proposition could have been expected to tell Eddie Kidd to go and take a running jump, have been surprisingly receptive to the idea.
According to one of the organisers, Mr Dean Gordon: ''Although there was a lot of paperwork to wade through, the Chinese Government has been really wonderful.'' Eddie, 32, who cleared a record eight double-decker buses on his motorbike last year, will attempt the May 11 jump on a Honda CR500 at Simatai, three hours drive from Beijing.
He will need to jump about 40 metres to clear the seven-metre high wall, which is on a 230-metre high mountain.
Hongkong, alas, is not on the daring stuntman's schedule this time around although he is expected to drop by for a spot of shopping on the way to Beijing.
