The Ming City Wall Site Park is located in the central part of Beijing and runs from Chongwenmen (or Chongwen Gate) in the west to the Southeastern Corner Tower at Dongbianmen in the east. The park covers an area of 15.5 hectares, with 3.3 hectares occupied by the city wall and the Southeastern Corner Tower, and 12.2 hectares of greenery patches. This article will bring you along the 1.5-kilometer long city wall relics of the Ming Dynasty, and give you highlights and knowledge about this historical site. This trip starts from the Chongwenmen subway station, and ends at the Jianguomen subway station. You will be on foot at least for 30 minutes, but certainly a number of attractive scenes will catch your eye and keep your legs moving. Be sure to take a digital camera with you.
How to get there
The walk from Peixin Hotel to our starting point, Chongwenmen subway station, is an exciting discovery in itself. You'll walk through a modern commercial area that still retains the characteristics of the distant past. Before exploring the wonders of the old city, you can first get a glimpse of the new, modern Beijing.
Once outside the Peixin Hotel, go west to Xingfu Street. Go to the northern end of this street and you'll arrive at Guangqumennei Street. Walk along this street for 10 minutes to the north, and you'll reach Chongwenmen subway station.
The starting section of the Ming city wall relics
At the Chongwenmen subway station, step eastwards, and pass the Chongwenmen crossroads to reach a V-intersection. Take the street on your right (South), and you will immediately see a verdant lawn dotted with trees, and of course the low, old, grey city wall of the Ming Dynasty. This is the starting section of the city wall. The further you forge on, the higher the wall.
Glory City
Opposite the ancient Ming city wall, there are high-rise, modern residential buildings called the Glory City, separated from the relics by a running stream of vehicles. The sceneries on both your sides form a sharp contrast. Which one do you prefer?
Winding path along the Ming City Wall
A winding, brick-paved path leads you ahead along the city wall. We assume you prefer the sceneries on your left. These scenic spots abound with historical and cultural values.
The Ming City Wall
The city wall built in the Ming Dynasty from Chongwenmen to the Southeast Corner Tower is 1.5 kilometers long. Its construction started in the 17th year during Emperor Yongle¡¯s reign (1419) in the Ming Dynasty. Later on in the first year of Emperor Zhengtong¡¯s reign (1436), nine entrance gates in the capital of the Ming Dynasty were built. The original rammed clay wall was reinforced with bricks and stones, and the city wall took the style and shape we can admire today. The city wall is 11 meters high, 15 meters wide at the top and 18 meters wide at the foot -- a marked difference between the width at the top and the foot. Most of the city wall was demolished in the 1950s and ¡®60s. Later on, the government instituted a policy of restoring ancient buildings to their original state, and the city wall was restored, with its exterior layer formed with original bricks collected from or contributed by the public.
In the Ming Dynasty the city wall measured about 40 kilometers in length. The current 1.5-kilometer city wall, which used to be part of the Beijing inner city wall, is the only section left from the Ming Dynasty. It has become a historical feature of Beijing.
After years of neglect and destructive actions, the wall was in poor condition. In order to protect its cultural heritage and restore the elegance of the ancient city, the Beijing municipal government determined to improve the environment surrounding the wall, and to renovate the wall itself. It proceeded then to create the Ming City Wall Site Park.
Trees & grass of the Ming City Wall
The park was designed simply on purpose, to highlight the fragmentary beauty of the remains of the wall. Surrounded by ancient trees and luxuriant grass, the wall and the Southeastern Corner Tower stand solemnly and stately as if whispering the great changes they have witnessed in the city. Scenic spots in the park are described with rich historical connotations, such as ¡°old tree by the Ming wall¡±, ¡°strolling along the fragmentary wall¡±, ¡°charming ancient tower¡±, and ¡°crenellations covered with moss and grass¡±.
Some old trees look as if old men stooped on their crutches, their backs bent by time and weather. Only the grass is reborn every year, bringing a whiff of vitality to the ancient remains.
The Signal Station on Peking-Fengtian Railway
The Signal Station on Peking-Fengtian Railway
Further on, stands a house painted in white with a red roof. It is the signal station of the Peking-Fengtian railway line (from Beijing to Liaoning). Half of it has become a small coffee shop named Purple Caf¨¦. If you feel tired, this is a place of choice to sit down by the ancient wall and sip on a cup of coffee.
The signal station was designed and constructed by a British engineer in 1901. It is the first signal station along the Peking-Fengtian Railway. Over 100 years old, most of its installations are still in their original state.
Peking-Fengtian Railway
Looking around carefully, you will find a section of rusted rails with old wooden sleepers and detritus. These are the only remains of the Peking-Fengtian railway line.
The 842-kilometer railway line, known as the Shanhaiguan Linkage Railway before 1907, started at the Zhengyangmen Station in Peking and ended at Fengtian (presently Shenyang) Station in Liaoning Province. At the end of the 19th century, Great Britain and Russia fought fiercely for the concession rights to the railway. Eventually, the British secured the contract with the Qing administration, and later took control of the line. In 1912, the Peking-Fengtian Railway was opened to traffic. The tracks remaining here were part of the stretch between Zhengyangmen to Dongbianmen, a section of the line. They were rediscovered in September 2002, during the construction of the Ming City Wall Site Park.
Buttresses of the Ming City Wall
From spot to spot along your path, you will find a projection of the city wall. It is actually a buttress, and the ancient Chinese used to call it Dun Tai. In order to improve the defense capabilities of the city and kill enemies entering the blind angle of the city wall, a Dun Tai was built every 80 meters along the wall. The remains count 12 Dun Tais in total. Most Dun Tais were built in a square shape, with the side of the square and the width of the city wall almost equal. Some of the largest Dun Tai can reach over 30 meters. The one in the photograph below has a length of 39 meters, and is the largest one in Beijing.
The Railway Arch
Moving forward, an archway comes into view. In June 1915, in order to lay the railway tracks which would encircle the capital, this arch was built by breaking through the city wall near the corner tower and demolishing the last Dun Tai. This is considered the sole remains of the Round-the-Capital Railway nowadays. The arch is 8.2 meters high, 9.2 meters wide, and 7.4 meters long. Its construction followed the pattern of a traditional Chinese arch. The Round-the-Capital Railway opened its line on January 1st, 1916. It ran from Dongbianmen through to Xizhimen, with stops at Chaoyangmen, Andingmen and Deshengmen.
The Southeastern Corner Tower
Pass by the archway, move on, and soon you will see the magnificent Southeastern Corner Tower of Beijing City. Built in 1436 during the Ming Dynasty, the Southeastern Corner Tower is the only existing corner tower with a city wall in Beijing, and the largest in China. The tower, which consists of four floors, is nearly 30 meters high, and has 144 arrow windows. It is a typical city-defense fortification of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In 1982, the tower was declared a national cultural vestige and protected by the State Council. The harmonious integration of conventional and modern civilization and the perfect combination of city wall culture and horticulture, fully reflect the profound cultural background and the modern spirit of Beijing.
Return to your hotel
After admiring the Ming City Wall, you can go back to the hotel by taking a cab. It's cheap and it'll only be about a 10-minute ride. If you prefer to take a stroll back, walk south to Guangqumennei Street, and from there walk back to Xingfu Street. There, continue for 3 minutes to the south and you'll see the Peixin Hotel on your left.
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