City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

In the twilight days before Covid exploded, I visited Xi'an. It was the third week of January 2020, the week before Chinese New Year, that I came. The city was decorated with red lanterns. The trains were packed with travellers heading to their families. And a fairground was set up on top of the Xi'an city walls around the Southern gate. Imagining a full blown carousel on a city wall should give you an idea of how massive these walls are (12m wide). My picture should provide some insight, too.

The fortification was started in the 15th century with the final form being achieved in the late 18th century. The form is rectangular with a total length of 14km. The style clearly is Chinese and the most notable structures are the main gatehouses. Personally, I liked the Western one best as it had no traffic, unlike the Southern and Northern ones.

At 12m height, you also get great views of the city center and the suburbs with their many concrete buildings. The ever present fog (smog) actually set the mood quite nicely.

OUV

You can find me in the forum arguing that Xi'an as a city is a top missing site and I stand by it. The city is great and should be inscribed as a single site instead of piece-meal with a City Wall here, a Silk Road site there and who knows what in the future.

Now, looking at the City Wall itself, …

Relatively few intact city walls are left in China, particularly when put in contrast to how many walled cities existed previously during China's dynastic periods. The Xi'an City Wall is immense and provide some of the best views of the city on a clear day. As you walk, you can spot the inscribed Silk Road sites that make the city famous.

There are clear indications that a expanded nomination is well underway. This nomination came to our attention after a large update to China Tentative List in 2008. Doubling from 4 components to 8 in 2012 and then further expanded in 2015 from 8 to 13. In 2024, reports indicate 14 city walls! This collection is meant to represent various types of fortress architecture based on the size and function of the cities. I would welcome both the nomination and the chance to visit other representative fortress architecture in China, but having only visited Xi'an in 2006, I can hardly say I visited this serial nomination! 

Will more city walls join this nomination? I could be wrong, but it seems the participating cities in this project are now final. No exact date is provided for a nomination, except a few years or near future.