Chinese city walls (Chinese: 城墙; pinyin: chéngqiáng; literally "city wall") refer to civic defensive systems used to protect towns and cities in China in pre-modern times. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led The fortifications of Xi'an, an ancient capital of China, represent one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls Construction of the first city Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The system consisted of walls, towers, and gates, which were often built to a uniform standard throughout the Empire. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors A wall tower is a Tower built into a Defensive wall. The tower usually extended outwards so as to be able to fire on attackers attempting to climb or break through A city gate is a Gate which is or was set within a City wall.
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Meaning of the word Chengqiang
The Chinese word Chéngqiáng (城墙) can be used in two senses in the modern Chinese language. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Pingyao ( is a Chinese city and county in central Shanxi province In a broad sense, it means all defensive walls, including the Great Wall of China, as well as similar structures in other countries such as Hadrian's Wall. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors The Great Wall of China ( or ( is a series of stone and earthen Fortifications in China, built rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman In a narrow sense, Chengqiang specifically refers to defensive walls built around a city or town.
In classical Chinese, the character Chéng (城) denoted the defensive wall of the "inner city", housing government buildings. Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of Written Chinese based on the Grammar and Vocabulary of ancient Chinese The character Guó (郭) denoted the defensive wall of the "outer city", housing mainly residences. The phrase Chángchéng (长城), literally "the Long Wall", specifically referred to the Great Wall. The Great Wall of China ( or ( is a series of stone and earthen Fortifications in China, built rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th
History
Like various other innovations in Chinese history, the invention of the city wall is attributed to a semi-mythological sage; in this case, to Xia Dynasty leader Gun (鲧), the father of Yu the Great[1]. Kaifeng ( formerly known as Bianliang ( Bianjing ( Daliang ( or simply Liang ( is a Prefecture-level city in eastern The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Along the River During the Qingming Festival ( is the title of several Panoramic paintings the original version generally attributed to the Song Dynasty Zhang Zeduan ( (1085-1145 AD alias Zheng Dao was a famous Chinese painter during the twelfth century during the transitional period from the Northern Song to the Southern Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era The Xia Dynasty ( of China is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical records such as Records of the Grand Historian and Yǔ ( (21st century BCE born Sì Wénmìng) often regarded with legendary status as Yu the Great (大禹 Dà-Yǔ) was the first ruler and founder of It is said that Gun built the inner wall (城) to defend the prince, and the outer wall (郭) to settle the people. An alternative theory attributes the first city wall to the Yellow Emperor[2]. Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor, is a Legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero who is considered in Chinese mythology to be the A number of neolithic-period walls surrounding substantial settlements have been excavated in recent years. These include a stone wall at Sanxingdui, and several tamped earth walls at the Longshan culture site. Sanxingdui ( is the name of an Archaeological site in China, now believed to be the site of an ancient Chinese city Longshan culture ( was a late Neolithic culture in China, centered on the central and lower Yellow River and dated from about 3000 BC to These walls generally protected settlements the size of a large village.
In Shang Dynasty China, at the site of Ao, large walls were erected in the 15th century BC that had dimensions of 20 meters / 65 feet in width at the base and enclosed an area of some 2100 yards squared. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National [3] In similar dimensions, the ancient capital of the State of Zhao, Handan (founded in 386 BC), had walls that were again 20 meters / 65 feet wide at the base, a height of 15 meters / 50 feet tall, with two separate sides of its rectangular enclosure measured at a length of 1530 yards. Zhao ( Pinyin: zhào Traditional Chinese: 趙 Simplified Chinese: 赵 was a Chinese State during Handan ( is a Prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China. [3]
Most towns of a significant size possessed a city wall from the Zhou Dynasty onwards. ( Chinese: 南京 Romanizations Nánjīng ( Pinyin) Nan-ching ( Wade-Giles The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. For example, the city wall of Pingyao were first constructed between 827 BC and 782 BC, in the reign of King Xuan of Zhou. Pingyao ( is a Chinese city and county in central Shanxi province Events and trends 828 BC /827 BC (14th year in the era of Gònghé — King Xuan of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China Events and trends 783 BC — Shalmaneser IV succeeds his father Adad-nirari III as king of Assyria. King Xuan of Zhou (before 841 BC - 781 BC ( ch 周宣王 zhōu xūan wáng was the eleventh sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. The city wall of Suzhou followed, prior to their demolition in the 1960s and 1970s, largely the same plan as set down by Wu Zixu in the 5th century BC. Suzhou ( ancient name 吳) is a City on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu Biography Wu was born the second son of Wu She (伍奢 who was the royal tutor in the state of Chu (楚 By the Yuan Dynasty, it was government policy that towns which were administrative seats of county-level units or above were to have defensive walls. The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai In the context of Political divisions of China, county is the standard English translation of 县 ( xiàn) In ancient China, sieges of city walls (along with naval battles) were portrayed on bronze 'hu' vessels dated to the Warring States (5th century BC to 3rd century BC), like those found in Chengdu, Sichuan, China in 1965. Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the ( located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan province and a Sub-provincial city. ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. [4]
The construction of city walls grew to a peak in the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China Sophisticated construction techniques meant that major city walls, such as that in the capitals Beijing and Nanjing, were specifically built to withstand cannonfire. ( Chinese: 南京 Romanizations Nánjīng ( Pinyin) Nan-ching ( Wade-Giles However, with the advent of modern Western firearms, traditional fortifications began to lose their defensive functions in the 19th and 20th centuries. The traditional city wall also proved an obstacle to efficient trade and intercourse. For example, the city wall of Shanghai, built to repel Wokou raiders in the Ming dynasty, was almost completely demolished after the Xinhai Revolution at the request of the city's merchant community. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led The Xinhai Revolution or Shinhai Revolution ( also known as the 1911 Revolution or the Chinese Revolution, began with the Wuchang Uprising
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a political dimension was added to the economic problem posed by city walls. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES In Beijing, for example, the proposed demolition of the city walls was at first opposed by experts ranging from architect Liang Sicheng, to Soviet advisor Mosin, on the grounds that the city walls of Beijing were the most sophisticated and well-preserved system of city walls in China. Liang Sicheng ( 20 April 1901 – 9 January 1972 was the son of Liang Qichao, a well-known Chinese thinker in the late Qing Dynasty The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 However, in 1958 Mao Zedong intervened, and declared that the demolition of the old city wall was a political issue. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mao Zedong ( 26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) was a Chinese Military and political leader who led Despite mayor Peng Zhen's efforts to preserve gates and towers, by 1970 almost all of the city wall had been demolished. This is a Chinese name; the Family name is Peng. Peng Zhen ( ( October 12, 1902 &ndash Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Composition
Many Chinese cities were deliberately sited and planned, city walls tend to be rectangular or square instead of being constrained by geography. Philosophical and even feng shui considerations were adopted in siting gates and towers, and the walled city itself. Feng shui ( ˈfəŋˌʃueɪ fehng-shway in English is an ancient Chinese system of Aesthetics believed to utilize the Laws of both heaven (astronomy and earth (geography
Chinese cities rarely centre on a castle. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. Instead, the city's administrative centre is spread over a relatively large area, which may or may not be surrounded by a second set of "inner" walls similar in shape and construction to the main, outer wall.
Long-term strategic considerations adopted in the planning process also meant that the walls of important cities often enclosed an area much larger than the existing urban areas, both in order to ensure excess capacity for growth, and to secure resources such as timber and farmland in times of war. The Gate of China, Zhonghua Gate or Zhonghuamen in Chinese is the southern gate of Nanjing city ( Chinese: 南京 Romanizations Nánjīng ( Pinyin) Nan-ching ( Wade-Giles The Qianmen ( is the common name for the gateway known formally as Zhengyangmen ( Manchu: Tob šuni duka Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Pan Gate, Pan Men, Panmen or Panmen Gate ( is a famous historical landmark in Suzhou, China Suzhou ( ancient name 吳) is a City on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu Thus, for example, the city wall of Quanzhou in Fujian still contained one quarter vacant land by 1945. "Zaytun" redirects here For the South Korean military division in Iraq see Zaytun Division. This article is about the People's Republic of China province Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The city wall of Suzhou by the Republic of China era still contained large tracts of farmland[5]. Suzhou ( ancient name 吳) is a City on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The City Wall of Nanjing, built in the Ming Dynasty, enclosed an area large enough to house an airport, bamboo forests, and lakes in modern times[6]. The City Wall of Nanjing was designed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (r The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led
Several features are typical of most Chinese city walls.
Shape
Where allowed by geography, Chinese city walls are rectangular in shape, with four orthogonal walls. Some wall systems are composed of a number of such rectangles, set adjacent to or concentrically within each other. For example, the city wall of Beijing is composed of four rectangles: a wider outer city to the south, a narrower inner city to the north, an imperial city within the inner city, and the Forbidden City at the centre of that. The Imperial City ( Chinese: 北京皇城 Pinyin: Běijīng Huángchéng Manchu: Dorgi hoton literally "The inner city" is a section of The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty.
The walls could be constructed of a variety of materials. Common materials included rammed earth, compressed earth blocks, brick, stone, and any combination of these. Rammed earth, also known as cob, pisé de terre or simply pisé, is a type of construction material Compressed Earth Block often referred to simply as CEB, is a type of manufactured construction material formed in a mechanical press that forms an appropriate mix of dirt non-expansive In its standardised form during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the wall was composed of a core made of compressed earth and mixed debris, strengthened by various binders. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China In the most general sense of the word a cement is a binder a substance which sets and hardens independently and can bind other materials together The wall was then surfaced with bricks. It was topped with crenellations facing out, and a parapet facing in. Crenellation (or crenelation, also known as castellation) is the name for the distinctive pattern that frames the tops of the walls of many medieval Castles A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a Roof or structure.
Gates
Gates were placed symmetrically along the walls. The principal gate was traditionally located at the centre of the south wall. Gatehouses were generally built of wood and brick, which sat atop a raised and expanded section of the wall, surrounded by crenellated battlements. Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar, and the term "masonry" can also refer to the units themselves A tunnel ran under the gatehouse, with several metal grates and wooden doors. Camouflaged defensive positions are placed along the tunnel (in an effect similar to murder holes). Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism A murder-hole is a hole in the Ceiling of a Gateway or passageway in a Fortification through which the defenders can fire throw or pour dangerous or noxious Gatehouses were accessed by ramps, called horse ramps or bridle paths[7] , (Chinese: 马道; pinyin: mǎdào), which sat against the wall adjacent to the gate. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use
Barbican
An "archery tower" was often placed in front of the main gatehouse, forming a barbican (Chinese: 瓮城; pinyin: wèngchéng; literally "jar walls"). A barbican (from medieval Latin barbecana, "outer fortification of a city or castle" a general Romanic word perhaps from Arabic or Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use In its final form during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the archery tower was an elaborate construction, of comparable height to the main gatehouse, which stands some distance in front of the main gatehouse. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China At its base was a gate. The archery tower is so-named because of its rows of archery (and later cannon) placements, from which defenders could fire projectiles on attackers. Auxiliary walls, running perpendicularly to the main wall, connect the archery tower with the main gatehouse, enclosing a rectangular area. This area serves as a buffer zone, should the first gate be breached. Its Chinese name, "jar walls", refers to the intended strategy whereby attackers coming through the archery tower would be trapped in the barbican, open to attack from all sides.
In large gates there may be multiple barbicans - the main gate of Nanjing (Gate of China) had three barbicans, forming the most elaborate system still in existence in China. The Gate of China, Zhonghua Gate or Zhonghuamen in Chinese is the southern gate of Nanjing city
Towers
Towers that protruded from the wall were located at regular intervals along the wall. A wall tower is a Tower built into a Defensive wall. The tower usually extended outwards so as to be able to fire on attackers attempting to climb or break through Large and elaborate towers, called corner towers (角楼), were placed where two walls joined (i. e. at corners). These were significantly higher than the wall itself, and gave defenders a bird's eye view over both the city and its surroundings.
Moat
In larger cities, a moat surrounded the wall. A moat is deep broad Trench, usually filled with Water, that surrounds a structure installation or town normally to provide it with a preliminary line of This could be connected to canals or rivers both in the city and outside, thus providing both a defense and a convenient transportation route. Nearby waterways might be adopted or altered to connect to, or form part of, the moat.
Extant city walls
- City wall of Xi'an
- City wall of Pingyao
- City Wall of Nanjing
- Parts of the city walls of Beijing:
- Wall of the Forbidden City;
- Gates, including Qianmen, Tiananmen, Deshengmen;
- Walled city of Wanping, near Marco Polo Bridge
- Gates of Suzhou:
Notes
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This article contains Chinese text. The fortifications of Xi'an, an ancient capital of China, represent one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls Construction of the first city Pingyao ( is a Chinese city and county in central Shanxi province The City Wall of Nanjing was designed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (r The Gate of China, Zhonghua Gate or Zhonghuamen in Chinese is the southern gate of Nanjing city The City wall of Beijing was a Fortification built around 1435 The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. The Qianmen ( is the common name for the gateway known formally as Zhengyangmen ( Manchu: Tob šuni duka The Tian'anmen ( literally the "Gate of Heavenly Peace" is a famous monument in Beijing, the capital of People's Republic of China. The Deshengmen ( Manchu: Erdemu i etehe duka lit "Gate of Virtuous Triumph" is one of the few surviving city gates in Beijing, China, located The Lugou Bridge ( Simplified: 卢沟桥 Traditional: 盧溝橋 Pinyin: Lúgōu Qiáo also known as the Marco Polo Bridge, is a famous stone Suzhou ( ancient name 吳) is a City on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu Pan Gate, Pan Men, Panmen or Panmen Gate ( is a famous historical landmark in Suzhou, China Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. Mojibake is the happenstance of incorrect unreadable characters (garbage characters shown when Computer software fails to render a text correctly according to its associated A Chinese character, also known as a Han character ( is a Logogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi Japanese ( |
- ^ Spring and Autumn of Wu and Yue (吴越春秋). Nanjing: Jiangsu Ancient Books Press. 1986
- ^ "Biography of Xuanyuan" (轩辕本纪). in Sima Qian. Shiji. The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name 史記 or Shiji, written from 109 BC to 91 BC Beijing: Zhonghua Publishing. 2005. ISBN 7-101-00304-4
- ^ a b Needham, Volume 4, Part 2, 43.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 6, 446.
- ^ Chen Zhengxiang (陈正祥). Chinese Cultural Geography (《中国文化地理》)，Joint Publishing, Beijing 1983, pp 68, 74
- ^ Ray Huang. China: a Macro History. Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1988. ISBN 0-87332-452-8
- ^ Yu, Zhuoyun (1984). Palaces of the Forbidden City. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-53721-7.
References
- Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Part 3. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd.
- Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 5, Part 6. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd.
Further reading
- Wheatley, Paul, The Pivot of the Four Quarters (Edinburgh U. Press, 1971)
External links
- (Chinese) Comparative City History Research, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Osaka City University
- Nanjing Zhonghua (China) Gate
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