City Wall, Xi'an

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There are four main gates towers at Xi'an City Wall; Yongningmen (South Gate), Changlemen (East Gate), Anyuan Gate (North Gate), and Andingmen (West Gate). These gates look alike. I cycled from South --> East --> North --> West --> South.

" On the top of the city gate the Watch Tower was the main building in the defense system. It is 32 meters high and 43 meters long. The blue tiled, double eaves structure really reflected its greatness and power, and hence used to be the general's office during times of war. The two stories and three eaves structure made the watch tower a very cherished example of ancient Chinese architecture, fully demonstrating the perfect combination of aesthetics and practical function. " written on signboard.

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Xi'an City Wall is the longest and oldest city wall that I have seen in China. It is very impressive the first time I saw it. It was a great day to walk around the wall during spring season. In fact, the color and structures of all the walls are the same, but I could see the city from different angles, from ancient architectural buildings or shop-lots to modern skyscrapers outside the wall. After walking for a while, I realized that It was impossible to walk the whole wall on foot within these few hours. So, I rented a bicycle to explore the wall from Changle Gate all the way back to Yongning Gate, passing Anyuan Gate and Anding Gate. The bicycle rental is Y20 for 90 minutes, which was just enough time for me to circle around the wall.

The City Wall's signboard was written as:

Xi'an City Wall was first built in 582, the 2nd year of the Emperor Kaihuang's reign of the Sui Dynasty. The current structure is an extension of both east and north of the old structure by Zhu Shuang, the Prince of Qin in 1370, the 3rd year of Emperor Hongwu's reign of the Ming Dynasty in accordance with the policy made by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in the early Ming Dynasty of "building high city walls, storing abundant provisions and taking your time in proclaiming yourself emperor". With a circumference of 13.74 kilometers, the City Wall stands 12 meters high, 12-14 meters wide across the top, 16-18 meters thick at the bottom, covering 11.5 square kilometers interior area. It has moat suspension bridge, Zhalou (sluice gate), Jianlou (arrow tower), Chenglou (the main gate tower), corner towers, rampart towers, parapets and crenellations or battlements, which formed a strict and complicated system of city defense in an era of non-fired weapon. It is also one of the most famous ancient city walls in China, as well as the longest, the most intact and best-preserved, and the largest in scale of the ancient defense systems in the world.

Don't miss this, the entrance to the wall is through Nanmen (South gate).

Admission: Y40 (Adult) (8:00- 22:00)

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The city wall is a great monument by itself. Walking on it, even in a short distance, is mndatory.

Furthermore, the clever idea of spreading on it some recreations of the old war machines enhances the views, and give this place a sense of natural authenticity.

Of course, we don't know the purpose of some of them, but... they fit well in place!

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I regret not having enough time to walk a section of the inpressive City Wall. We passed it many times as we drove through the city. Walking the wall would be walking on history, also the view from the wall would be outstanding.

"The Xi'an City Wall augmented in Ming Dynasty measures 12 meters high, 12 to 14 meters wide on the top, 15 to 18 meters wide at the bottom with a total length of 13.7 kilometers. There is a watchtower in every 120 meters, outstanding with a same height leveling with the wall to help soldiers kill enemies that are climbing the wall".

The defensive walls surrounding the inner city of Xian are the best preserved walls in China, if not the world. Built in the 14th and 15th Century to defend against nomadic invaders, the wall is wide enough to accomodate cars.
To access the parapets, admission is charged. You can then walk or rent a bicycle to traverse its circumference. Several structures can be seen atop, surrounded by modern high rise buildings. One of the most imposing is the Archers Tower. From this structure, archers would shoot down on any possible enemey or invader with deadly accuracy. (see picture).

We had a fabulous visit to Xian with the help of Allen Guo as our guide. From the first contact made via email, Allen was very professional and helpful. His English is excellent and he asked questions in order to create a tour that met our needs. He went above and beyond a number of times such as finding us a hotel with a larger room (we were 2 adults and one child) in the area we requested and for a better price and scouting out restaurants with local specialties. Allan met us at the airport with his driver. From the airport he took us to the Wild Goose Pagoda then lunch near the Muslim quarter. He was very attentive to our questions and needs and really made it fun for our 8 year old. Next he took us to a Jade factory where we learned all about different types of Jade and watched carving. Thent to an art museum with a private tour and a chance to learn and practice caligraphy. Finally, to the hotel to check in. Our room was upgraded to a suite and very spacious. Allen personally checked the room to be sure it met our needs. He took us to dinner at a local hot pot restaurant nearby. It was a locals place and very tasty. The next morning he met us at the hotel and we went to the city wall and rented bicycles and rode around the entire perimeter (about 9 miles). It was not crowded and we had a wonderful time with some excellent views. Then we visited the Terra Cotta Soldiers which was the highlight of Xian. Allen is very knowledgeable in Xian history and gave us so much information. He found a home built in a cave for us to see on our way back to Xian. He definitely went the extra mile to make our trip very enjoyable. I would not hesitate to hire Allen again on a future visit. His email is allenguo1986@163.com, mobile is 13572901624 and website is www.xianprivatetours.com.

The construction from the Ming period was totally recovered in the eighties. Excellent idea and work. It expresses true authenticity, and the sights of the ramparts punctuated with beautiful towers until fading in the haze is magnificent.

Walking a little in any section of its 15 km long, and a visit of one of the several towers are not to be missed.

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We bought a ticket for 20 yuan to rent our bikes for 100 minutes. We had to leave a deposit of 100 yuan for each bike which we got back after our ride. You can ride the bike all around the city but it takes a great deal of time. The wall is very well restored and wide and bike riding is smooth.
The view is really beautiful here and gives a whole new perspective to Xi'an, especially the old city quarters where there many quaint shops. The modern high rises are outside the wall.
There are four symetrical entrances - East Gate, West Gate, North Gate and South Gate. The East Gate is the only way in and it cost about 40 yuan, or $6. The wall is very wide and well cared for.