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Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Xi’an City Wall

Another view of Xi’an City Wall. Photo by Wikimedia.

Xi’an city wall is located in the Xian city which is currently an urban district situated near the ancient Silk road. Initially, the city was an empire city in the time of the Tang and Sui dynasties.

The wall was built by Zhu Yuanzhang who was the reigning emperor of the time. It is the most complete wall which has survived from the ancient to date.

The wall was built in 1370 and is currently a national heritage that attracts tourists to the country. 

The wall is fascinating with a path built along the wall where tourists come for bike riding while enjoying the beauty and history of the Chinese.

Below are 10 fascinating facts about Xi’an City Wall.

1. It is also called the Fortification of Xi’an

XiAn CityWall DiLou.

The first emperor of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang built the wall in his reign in 1370. The wall was built initially using tamped earth.

However, as years advanced it was rebuilt and refurbished by different people who used different materials to strengthen the wall.

Zhu built a fortified high wall around the city to protect it during the war. It was built in the era of wars and its main purpose was to fortify the city.

 It is currently among the largest military walls in the world, that were built in the ancient as a defensive system.

2. How Xi’an City Wall Came to Being

The idea to build the wall was brought about by Zhu Sheng, a sage who advised emperor Zhu Yuanzhang to build a high fortified wall around the city.

After Zhu established the Ming dynasty he built the wall over the existing palace wall of the Tang dynasty.

He began by building the Xi’an wall and then incorporated the fortified embankments built by Tang and Sui.

3. It is One of the Largest Military Defense Systems in the World

The wall is built around the city of Xi’an. Xi’an city wall is 13.7 kilometres long. The wall is 12 meters tall, 12 -14 meters in width from the top, and 15 – 18 meters from the bottom.

There is also a constructed rampart that extends from the main wall every 120 meters. This makes a total of 98 ramparts around the wall.

The ramparts were used to protect the city by preventing the enemy from climbing up the wall.

In every rampart, there is a sentry building where soldiers protected themselves against the arrows of the enemy in times of war.

From the outer side of the wall, 5,948 battlements were used by the soldiers for the lookout and could easily shoot at the enemy.   

4. Xi’an City Wall has 4 Main Gates

 A South Gate barbican entrance of Xi’an. Photo by Wikimedia.

The city wall was equipped with four main gates which were strongly constructed to protect the city during the war. The gates have three gate towers each that were used at a vantage point to see the enemy from afar.

The four gates were:

1. East Gate is called Changle which means eternal joy
2. West Gate is called Anding which means harmony peace
3. South Gate is called Yongning which means eternal peace
4. North Gate is called Anyuan which means forever harmony

The southern gate is the most decorated and is near the Bell Tower in the centre of the city.

5. The Wall has been Restored 3 times

The wall was first built up with layers of dirt. The base layer was constructed inclusive of glutinous rice and lime extract.

The wall was first restored in 1864 by a government officer called Zhang Zhi. He rebuilt the wall using bricks.

In 1781 the gate and wall were refitted by Bi Yuan also a government officer at the time. It was lastly restored in 1983 by the Shaanxi provincial government.

6. A Park is Built along Xi’an City Wall

The Xi’an City Wall Park is built along the wall. It stretches 13.7kilometress long. It was built in 1982 bordering the Ming Dynasty city wall.

The park was built to benefit the public and tourists who visited the place. It consists of 3 parts namely a moat, a forest belt, and the ancient city wall.

7. Xi’an City Wall is a Beautiful Cultural Heritage

City Moat of Xi’an. Photo by Paul Louis.

The ancient wall is currently a national cultural heritage that carries the history of the Chinese. It was made National Heritage of the historical and cultural unit in March 1961.

The wall has a beautiful layout with the forest and moat being harmonious with the wall. The clear waters beside the wall and trees resemble a beautiful painting.

The wall has a total of 18 gates although not all are open. Visitors can ascend the wall using the East gate, South gate, Heping gate, North gate, Small gate, Wenchang gate, and Hanguang gate.

8. The Xi’an City Wall was Attacked

The wall was attacked by the enemy in the year 1926. Bombs were used to attack the wall which led to serious structural damage.

During the second world war, the Japanese also tried to destroy the wall through bombing from 1937 to 1940. The wall was damaged but restored in 1983.

9. The City Wall has 4 Watchtowers

Another view of Xi’an City Wall. Photo by Wikimedia.

The 4 watchtowers constructed around the wall were from the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western sides. Each tower was constructed above the gates at the corners of the wall.

The Southern watchtower was constructed in 1378. During the civil war in 1926, the Southern watchtower was destroyed by fire but was later restored in September 2014.

10. An Archery Tower is Built along the Xi’an City Wall

The Archery Tower was built to give an advantage position during the war. The tower provided security to one of the four gates of the Xi’an wall.

The tower is constructed as a large trap-like structure that is sealed and fitted with windows. The archers used the windows as an advantage to attack the enemy.

Xi’an City Wall carries the history of the Chinese dating back from 1370 when the wall was built.

Currently, the city within the walls has been refurnished and other additional features put in place to beautify the historic place.

The park that stretches from the wall is part of the features where visitors can view the wall and enjoy the beautiful sceneries.

The Chinese history and culture have been captured within the walls.