Nanjing Ming Dynasty City Wall
Nanjing Ming Dynasty City Wall
南京明城墙
- 分类: 旅游
- ID: 1869583890328424471
Home CategoryTourismNanjing Ming Dynasty City WallPlay2.5 minsThe Nanjing City Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and took 21 years to construct. The unique inner construction meandered for 35.3 kilometers while the outer wall spanned more than 60 km when it was completed.ShareCatalogue1. History2. Construction
History
The Nanjing City Wall was designed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (1368-1398) after he founded the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and established Nanjing as the capital. The wall was among the largest constructed in China and it remains in good condition today.
In expanding the walls, it appears the emperor intended to strengthen the existing walls and encompass the new city to the east. The main north gate would have been the Drum Tower. However, it was decided that it would include Lion Hill, to the northwest, in the city's defenses, almost doubling the wall’s coverage. In addition to the original walls of stone and brick, an outer wall was built along the river and to the south as an additional defensive measure. Old maps show there were about 20 gates in the wall. This outer wall is now long gone but the names of the gates survive as local place names.
Construction
Now, the existing length of the wall is 23.7 km. The average height of the wall varies from 14 to 26 meters. The wall foundation is 14 meters wide. The top of the wall varies from four to nine meters in width. The interior and exterior of the wall are made of bricks with gravel, clay and broken bricks rammed between them.
The entire project took 21 years from 1366 to 1386. One-third of the cost was donated by Shen Wansan, a man of wealth from south of the Yangtze River. There were 200,000 laborers and craftsmen involved in the construction. They were recruited from Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces. There were 350 million bricks made for the wall. Each of the bricks is 40 cm long, 20 cm wide and 10cm thick. Article reference1. Nanjing city wall museum opens for trial service. chinadaily.com.cn. 20212. City walls: Preservation of living history in China. chinadaily.com.cn. 20173. Nanjing retains its history, charm in modern era. chinadaily.com.cn. 2018Photo Gallery（3 pictures）CategoriesTourismTagCity TourismCatalogue1. History2. Construction- - - []