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China Best Ancient City Walls
With thousands of years of civilization, China is inspiring, enigmatic, one of the oldest nations, and many ancient city walls remain to this day. The city wall is the symbol of a city, while the city is a symbol of the growth of human society in a significant historical era. China has a long tradition of building walls, and wall construction technology has been highly advanced. Although the Great Wall is China's most famous wall, there are 10 best-kept ancient city walls that are still considered important witnesses of the Chinese civilization's legacy.
1 Xian Old City Wall
Initially built in the Tang and Yuan dynasties, the ancient city wall of Xian in Shaanxi province was extended from the 3rd year to the 11th year of Emperor Hongwu (1370-1378) and the Ming Dynasty. It has a rectangular shape with a width of 12 to 14 metres at the top and a width of 15 to 18 metres at the bottom. The perimeter is 13.7 kilometres or so. A 20-meter-wide and 10-meter-deep moat is situated outside the town wall. The wall was made of blue brick, thick and durable. In the east, west, north and south, there were originally 4 city gates (now added to 18 city gates), with majestic rostrums, watchtowers and turrets with various functions. The Old City Wall of Xian is China's only intact ancient city wall.
2 Nanjing Ancient City Wall
The ancient city wall of Nanjing, in the province of Jiangsu, was first constructed during the Yuan Dynasty in 1366 and completed during the Ming Dynasty in 1386. The inner portion of the city wall is 33 kilometres in diameter, with 21 kilometres remaining today. It is 14-18 metres high and the top is 8-12 metres tall. There are 13 gates to the Nanjing City Wall, with just four preserved today. At the point at which the city wall intersects with the waterway, a watergate, sluice or culvert is arranged. On the town wall, there are 13616 crenellations, but some parts are destroyed. The city wall of Nanjing is the world's largest.
3 Pingyao Ancient City Wall
In the Ming Dynasty, in the third year of Hongwu, the Pingyao Ancient City Wall was built in Pingyao County, central Shanxi Province (1370 AD). The perimeter is 6 kilometres, 8-10 metres in height, 8-12 metres in width at the bottom, and 3-6 metres in width at the top. The body of the wall is rammed with plain dirt, while the brick of the outside wall is constructed with white ash.
Six city gates with a drawbridge are there. There is a Wengcheng (a strategic city) outside the gates with watchtowers, each with a turret, on the top of the hill tower. There are a total of 72 watchtowers on the Pingyao City Wall. Since there are six Wengcheng, forming the shape of a turtle, Pingyao is also called the City of Turtles.
The Pingyao town wall is famous for its unadorned but functional method of building. The Kuixing Tower and the city wall to the north, east and south have now been restored, and are more intact.
4 Jinzhou Ancient City Wall
It is said that the ancient wall of Jingzhou City in Hubei Province was built during the time of the Three Kingdoms when Jingzhou was guarded by Guan Yu (a famous general of the Shu Kingdom). During the Southern Song Dynasty, the original Earth Wall was built into a brick wall. In the third year of Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty and reserve so far, it was restored in 1646 AD. The city wall's overall form is irregular and elliptic. It is 8.83 metres high, 10 metres wide at the bottom, 11.3 kilometres in circumference, 3.75 kilometres in diameter from east to west, 1.2 kilometres in diameter from north to south, and a total area of 4.6 square kilometres.
5 Xiangyang Ancient City Wall
In the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, the ancient wall of Xiangyang town in Hubei province was built. There are six city gates, each with a Wengcheng link and defence engineering support. With an average height of 8 metres and a width of around 10 metres, the perimeter of the city wall is 7.6 kilometres. It is constructed layer upon layer by ramming earth and surrounded by large blocks of black bricks. As a natural obstacle, the Han River lies north of the city. In the east, south, and west of the city, city moats are created. Each moat is 130 to 250 metres wide, 2 to 3 metres deep, and looks like a real lake.
6 Fenghuang Ancient City Wall
In the 43rd year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1704) of the Qing Dynasty, the Fenghuang Ancient City Wall was constructed in Fenghuang Old Town, Hunan province. The original town wall of North Gate was later restored. The North Gate Tower and the East Gate Tower are connected by the entire city wall and the transparent Tuojiang River faces them. Stone-paved city streets, wooden stilted riverside structures, as well as Chaoyang Palace, King of Heaven Temple, Dacheng Hall, Longevity Palace and other buildings all remind us of the ancient city's original appearance.
7 The Wall of Forbidden City
The Forbidden City has been China's largest power base for more than five decades. With 9,999 and a half palaces during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it has been an invaluable historical witness to Chinese civilization. The Imperial Palace is China's biggest and most detailed ancient architectural complex. It is 750 metres wide from east to west and 960 metres long from north to south, making it the largest in the world, with a surface area of 720,000 square metres. Two strong defensive lines surround the entire building - a 52-meter-wide and 6-meter-deep moat, and a wall almost 10 metres high, 8.62 metres wide at the bottom, with a diameter of 3 kilometres.
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