Grand China Travel

City Wall Of Nanjing

Introducing Nanjing City Wall, Nanjing City Wall Guide, Nanjing City Wall Travel Guide
Article from Nanjing Municipal Commission of Tourism

Nanjing City Wall is one of the key historical and cultural remains of Ming Dynasty(1386) under state protection. Nanjing City Wal is a masterpiece of China's ancient architecture.

With an original perimeter of about 35 kilometers (22miles), Nanjing City Wal has a height 14-21 meters (46-67 feet). The footing has a width of 14 meters (about 46 feet). The present remains have a length of about 21 kilometers (13 miles). Nanjing is one of the few cities in China that still have old city walls, and its City Wall is better preserved with most part still remained. Even though Nanjing City Walhas a history of about 600 years Nanjing City Wal is still spectacular and of great value in terms of cultural relics protection.

Each brick weighs about 10 kilograms with a length of 40-50 centimeters, a width of 20 centimeters and a height of 10 centimeters. The bricks are inscribed with the names of officials who were responsible for the quality of the bricks. Up to 350 million bricks were used to build the wall.
Nanjing City Wal is made up of four parts. From the outside first there is Outer City, Inner City, Imperial City and Palace City. In 1390, Outer City was built with a length of 180 kilometers (112 miles) in a diamond shape to strengthen defenses though it does not exist any more and only the names of the 18 gates are still used now. Nanjing City Wal we can see today is mainly the relic of the Inner City.The Imperial City was built to protect the Palace City, which is nicknamed 'Forbidden City' as it is the centre of the four walls.

Nanjing City Wal is an important cultural relic for the inscriptions on the bricks. The inscriptions come in two forms. One is from scholars and officials, the other from the artisan or folk people. The characters of the former is beautiful and elegant and contains the major calligraphic styles, the origin of one of the characters styles even cannot be traced. From here, you can see how Chinese characters developed and understand the multiculturalism of the Ming Dynasty. These inscriptions act like a historical scroll, recording the changes of the wall over dynasties. It provides an indispensable record for the study of Nanjing history.

Quick Facts on Nanjing City Wall

Name: Nanjing City Wall 
Location: Downtown Nanjing
Dates: Yuan Dynasty
Phone: +86-025-83217200
Best Time to Visit: March to May; September to October
Recommended Time for a Visit: 1 Hour
Opening Hours: 08:00 - 18:00 (Summer); 08:30 - 17:00 (Spring, Autumn, Winter)
Admission Fee: Free
CNY 30 (Shence Gate to Taiping Gate, including the City Wall Museum)
CNY 20 (Taiping Gate to Guanghua East Street)
CNY 50 (East Water Pass to West Water Pass, including the barbican of Zhonghua Gate)
Pedicab is also available on the wall. There are three routes. 
Barbican of Zhonghua Gate–Yuhua Gate–Wuding Gate–East Water Pass: CNY 30
Barbican of Zhonghua Gate–Changgan Gate: CNY 15
Changgan Gate–Jiqing Gate: CNY 15

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