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01-13-2006 17:11

Until recently, one of the most striking features of Beijing’s city planning was its imposing city walls. Today, we begin a four-part series looking at the history of Beijing’s city walls, towers and gates. Although defensive walls were common among Chinese cities, Beijing’s were special. As the capital of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the city walls were built on an imposing scale showing imperial strength. Beijing’s location close to nomadic northern tribes required strong defences. The three concentric circles of walls were part of a symbolic and practical city layout. Residential areas for different classes were clearly defined with the Emperor residing at the heart of the city.

City walls and gates were an essential part of the city’s defence works. City gates comprised a group of structures. The massive gate itself was a small part of the design. After entering the gateway, the path led around a fortified watchtower. The structure would slow down any troops passing through the gate and make it easy to fire down on them. Although these were excellent defence works for land-based warfare, the design would later inhibit transport and trade around Beijing.

 

Editor:Wang Ping