CHINA

XI'AN. SIGHTS OF INTEREST. Xi’an City Wall
 

Xi’an City Wall is one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world and the most complete city wall survived in China. The wall was built initially during the old Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). The first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) enlarged the wall. And now it’s 12 meters high, 14 meters wide at the top and 15-18 meters at the bottom and about 14 kilometers long. It’s surrounded with a deep moat. There are 98 ramparts extending out from the wall. They were built to defend from the enemy climbing the wall. The city wall has four gates. The southern gate, named as Yongning (eternal peace) is the most beautiful and well-decorated gate. It’s close to the Bell tower and the center of the city. Important ceremonies are usually organized in the square at this gate. 

The wall was built with layers of dirt. The base layer included lime and glutinous rice extract. In 16th century the wall was rebuilt with bricks. City wall and its towers were renovated in 18th century. A circular park was added to the wall during the third reconstruction.