Like Xian, Beijing had its own city wall in ancient times. Originally built in Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and completed in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the grand and solid city wall had been used from Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, and witnessed a history of seven hundred years. But now, the ancient city wall has been replaced by the Second Ring Road. The ancient city wall takes on a shape as the Chinese character “凸”, with the perimeter as 60-li (30 kilometers) long, 8 meters high, and the 24 meters width of the wall foot.
In 1960s and 1970s, the ancient city wall was regarded as the hedge of social development and get demolished almost thoroughly. The remain city wall is located in the section between Chongwen Gate to the Dongbian Gate in Chongwen District. The embrasured watchtower in Dongbian Gate also survived luckily.
Why this section could survive? It is said that the city wall here was surrounded by thickly dotted residences and it is difficult to pluck down so that it was preserved from the damage. Several years ago, Beijing Municipal Government called upon citizens to contribute the old wall bricks to repair the section near Dongbian Gate and developed the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park. Now, it is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.
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