Everything about Chinese City Wall totally explained
Chinese city walls refer to civic defensive systems used to protect towns and
cities in
China in pre-modern times. The system consisted of
walls,
towers, and
gates, which were often built to a uniform standard throughout the Empire.
Meaning of the word Chengqiang
The
Chinese word
Chéngqiáng (城墙) can be used in two senses in the modern
Chinese language. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
The construction of city walls grew to a peak in the
Ming Dynasty and
Qing Dynasty. Sophisticated construction techniques meant that major city walls, such as that in the capitals
Beijing and
Nanjing, were specifically built to withstand cannonfire. 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.
After the founding of the
People's Republic of China, a political dimension was added to the economic problem posed by city walls. 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. However, in
1958 Mao Zedong intervened, and declared that the demolition of the old city wall was a political issue. Despite mayor
Peng Zhen's efforts to preserve gates and towers, by
1970 almost all of the city wall had been demolished.
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.
Chinese cities rarely centre on a
castle. 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. Thus, for example, the city wall of
Quanzhou in
Fujian still contained one quarter vacant land by
1945. The city wall of
Suzhou by the
Republic of China era still contained large tracts of farmland. 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.
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 walls could be constructed of a variety of materials. Common materials included
rammed earth,
compressed earth blocks, brick, stone, and any combination of these. 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 wall was then surfaced with bricks. It was topped with
crenellations facing out, and a
parapet facing in.
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. 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). Gatehouses were accessed by ramps, called horse ramps or bridle paths
,, which sat against the wall adjacent to the gate.
Barbican
An "archery tower" was often placed in front of the main gatehouse, forming a
barbican . 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. 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.
Towers
Towers that protruded from the wall were located at regular intervals along the wall. Large and elaborate towers, called corner towers (角楼), were placed where two walls joined (for example 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. 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
Further Information
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