With a total length of about 14 kilometers, the Xi'an Ancient City Wall is not only a landmark landscape of Xi'an, but also one of the most well preserved ancient city walls in China today.
History of Xian City Wall
The Xi'an City Wall, also known as the Xi'an Ming City Wall, is an existing Ming Dynasty(1368-1644) building with a total length of 13.7 kilometers. It was first built in the third year of the Hongwu reign of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty (1370) and was completed in the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign (1378). It was built under the guidance of Emperor Taizu's policies of "building high walls, accumulating abundant grain, and slowly proclaiming himself king" on the basis of the Sui and Tang imperial cities.
Later, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty conferred the title of King of Qin on his second son Zhu Xiu. The fiefdoms and prefectures were located in the same city, resulting in a grand and sturdy city. In addition, the Ming and Qing dynasties repaired and added to the city several times, and it has been well preserved to this day.
In early 2004, during the construction of the Han Guang Men section of the city wall road in Xi'an, Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Research Institute was commissioned by relevant departments to cooperate with the project and conduct archaeological investigations on the exposed section of the city wall. It was determined that its structure was complex, spanning from the Sui and Tang dynasties to modern times, and underwent five major constructions, which is of great historical value.
Structure OF Xian City Wall
The buildings on the Xian City Wall are divided into lookout towers, main towers, arrow towers, gate towers, and corner towers
Lookout Tower
After the expansion of the Xi'an City Wall in the Ming Dynasty, a Lookout Tower was built every 120 meters. It protruded outside the city wall, with the top level with the city wall, and was specifically designed to shoot and kill enemies climbing the city. At half of the distance between lookout towers,it is exactly within the effective range of the bow and arrow, making it easier for the defending soldiers to shoot the attacking enemy from the side. There are a total of 98 lookout towers on the Xian City Wall, all of which have buildings for troops stationed.
Main Tower
In the era of cold weapons, weapons were outdated, and the city gates were the gateway to enter and exit the city, so this was the defensive focus that defenders worked hard to manage. Xi'an City has four city gates: East, West, South, and North, with three main towers: Gate Tower, Arrow Tower.
The Gate Tower is located on the outermost side and serves as a suspension bridge for the lifting frame on the moat. The Arrow Tower is located in the middle, with square windows on both the front and sides for archery purposes. Main Tower, also known as City Tower, is the main entrance of the city at the innermost point.
Corner Tower
The four corners of the Xian city wall have protruding corner towers outside the city wall. Except for the southwest corner which is circular (possibly to maintain the original shape of the Tang Imperial City corner), all other corner towers are square. On the corner tower, there is a higher "corner building" than the lookout tower, indicating its important position in the war.
City Gate
There are 18 gates in the Xi'an City Wall, starting from the Yongning Gate, which are clockwise: Yongning Gate, Zhuque Gate, Wumu Gate, Hanguang Gate, Anding Gate, Yuxiang Gate, Shangwu Gate, Anyuan Gate, Shangde Gate, Jiefang Gate, Shangjian Gate, Shangqin Gate, Chaoyang Gate, Zhongshan Gate, Changle Gate, Jianguo Gate, Heping Gate, and Wenchang Gate.
Among them, only Yongning Gate has preserved three intact city walls, which was due to military defense needs at that time. Anyuan Gate, Changle Gate, and Anding Gate, due to their long history, only two city walls remain. The door openings next to the city walls were all built during the Republic of China period(1912-1949). The remaining fourteen city gates were all constructed in the later period.
How to visit Xian City Wall?
1. There are up to 19 climbing points on the Xi'an city wall, where you can choose to buy tickets to climb nearby. Riding a bicycle on the city walls of Xi'an is also a comfortable choice. A single person bicycle costs 40 yuan per ride, a double person bicycle costs 80 yuan per ride, and a deposit of 300 yuan per ride is required.
2. At present, there are bicycle rental services available in all four gates in the southeast, northwest, and northwest. After cycling, bicycles can be returned at any of these gates (the regulations of the scenic area may change, it is recommended to consult and confirm again when renting).
3. These four doors also provide sightseeing surround services, allowing you to take a sightseeing electric bike and walk around the city wall for about 50 minutes. Due to seasons and other reasons, the timing of bicycles in the concession may vary from time to time, and telephone or on-site consultations will be used as the basis.
Travel Tips
Address: No. 2 South Street, Beilin District, Xi'an City
Phone: 029-87272792
Official website: http://www.chinaxiancitywall.com/
Opening hours: 08:00-22:00
Ticket: CNY54