Xi’an City Wall: Where History Stands Tall, Experience the Legacy!

The Xi’an City Wall is the iconic landscape of this ancient city. The city wall we see now was built in the early Ming Dynasty and is now more than 600 years old. It was built on the basis of the imperial city of the Tang Dynasty and includes a series of facilities such as moats and corner towers. At present, there are many gates in the Xi’an City Wall that can be used to climb the city. Tourists can choose the nearest one. Among them, the South Gate is the welcoming gate of Xi’an City and it is also the gate with the most tourists. Cycling on the ancient city wall is a great experience. Riding on the city wall and overlooking the ancient capital of 13 dynasties, you will have a feeling of traveling through time.

The backbone of the city suspended in time and space When the prosperity of the ancient capital of 13 dynasties turned into smoke, only the Xi’an City Wall still nails history into the earth with its 13.74 kilometers of vigorous bones. This most complete ancient military defense system in the world is by no means a pile of cold bricks and stones, but a three-dimensional urban epic. The moment you climb the city walls, you step into the dual time and space of Chang’an and Xi’an.

Three unique shocks:

First, the “physical scale” of measuring history: the majestic proportion that the average thickness of the city wall is greater than its height (12-14 meters vs. 12 meters), and the strict sequence of arrow towers, enemy towers, and battlements make the defensive wisdom of the cold weapon era within reach. Touching the fault of the rammed earth core covered with blue bricks in the early Ming Dynasty, the city foundations of the Warring States Period, Sui and Tang Dynasties, Ming and Qing Dynasties are superimposed here, just like a three-dimensional display of the archaeological stratigraphic profile.

Second, the magical realism that interweaves the past and the present: in the Yongning Gate city wall, you can hear the chimes of the ancient opening ceremony, and when you turn around, you can see the glass curtain wall of South Street reflecting the modern neon lights; you can ride at Anding Gate until sunset, and the Ming Dynasty bricks and stones under the bicycle wheels and the lights of the SKP shopping mall on the other side of the moat flow at the same time.

Third, the living lifeline of the city: the ancient city wall is one of the few in the world that still serves as a transportation system. The Tang Dynasty canal in the Hanguan Gate Ruins Museum runs through the subway tunnel. The footsteps of citizens doing morning exercises and the traffic during the morning rush hour resonate inside and outside the city wall. Go beyond punching in for in-depth gameplay and refuse to just skim through the exhibits! It is recommended to rent a car to complete the entire ride (3-4 hours), starting from the southwest corner of the city in a clockwise direction: pass Wenchang Gate to see the flying eaves of the Forest of Steles piercing through the morning mist, pass Changle Gate to overlook the incense burning at the Eight Immortals Temple, and reach Anyuan Gate to imagine the Silk Road camel caravans heading west.