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Nanjing City Wall

The Nanjing City Wall lies in Nanjing City of Jiangsu Province.

Originally known as Yingtianfu, Nanjing City served as the capital during the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The city was famous for its tall, solid and grand city wall that gave it the name First Large City in the world.

Nanjing City wall originally had two parts: the inner and outer rings. The outer wall made of earth was destroyed; the inner brick and stone wall stretched to the southern ridge of Zhongshan Mountain in the east, Shitou in the west, Qinhuai River in the south and Lion Mountain and Jiuhua Mountain
in the north. The Nanjing City Wall was constructed between 1366 in the Yuan (1271-1368) and 1386 in the Ming Dynasty.

The inner wall has an irregular shape: it is narrow and long from south to north. It was built according to land shape and defense needs. The wall has an inner perimeter of 33.676 kilometers and is 14-21 meters high, containing 13,616 battlements and 200 fortresses. It is the longest city wall in
China, as well as in the world. Using huge stone bars as its base, the wall was built by layering large brick blocks. Each block is about 45-by-20-by-10 cm and weighs between 10 and 12 kilograms. Limewater mixed with polished glutinous rice was used to make a firm bond that enabled the wall to
stand upright for over 600 years.

The well-preserved section of the current wall is 19 kilometers long, measuring 25 meters at its highest point with a depth of 23 meters. Only eight out of the 13 city gates remain. Of all the gates, the Treasure Gate, also known as the China Gate, is the grandest.

Built in 917 during the Five Dynasties Period (907-960), the China Gate served as the southern center gate of the capital during the Southern Tang Dynasty. During the early Ming period the gate was rebuilt when the capital was expanded. The rectangular gate is 128 meters long from south to north
and 90 meters wide from east to west, covering an area of 11,720 square meters. Originally it had three stories, including a tower, but now only the base remains. The gate has four arched doors of about 19 meters made of brick blocks. Each gateway has a double-leaf wooden door wrapped with iron
sheets. A total of 27 stone caves were dug at the south end to serve as storerooms for military supplies and resting places. The biggest cave was large enough to conceal 1,000 soldiers.

The current China Gate witnessed great changes over its 600-year history. It is the largest and most complete fortress-shaped gate in China that holds an important position in the country’s architectural history. It provides precious insight into the study of Chinese ancient defense systems and
wall architecture.

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Flower Opera Tower

The Flower Opera Tower stands in the Daguandi Temple in the northwest corner of Boxian County, Anhui Province.

The Flower Opera Tower, also known as the Song Stage, was built particularly for opera performances. Built 1676, the 15th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Flower Opera Tower is both an independent construction and part of the Daguandi Temple.

The tower covers an area of about 1,000 square meters. Its gate was built on an imitation-wood structure in the shape of a memorial archway with three roofs. It was engraved with exquisite patterns from top to bottom, including figures, carts pulled by horses, cities, hills, trees, flowers, birds
and beasts, as well as six complete play texts and over 70 kinds of stories. A pair of 2.4-meter-high stone lions sit on both sides of the gate. Next to the lifelike statues are two iron masts 16 meters high. A bell tower and a drum tower were also built on both sides of the opera tower. Although
the huge bell has been destroyed, but the massive drum has been well preserved. An inscription on the drum reads: the second year of the Kangxi reign (1663).

Sitting in the north and facing the south, the Flower Opera Tower has a huge wooden stage shaped like the Chinese character,, that reaches the bell and drum towers. Colored wooden carvings decorate the stage, which is paved with glazed tiles. The Flower Opera Tower is supported by six columns. In
the center of the stage is a folding screen with carvings of two dragons playing with a huge pearl. Hanging above the screen is a horizontal tablet with four inscribed characters: Beautiful Song, Excellent Dance. There are four gates leading to the stage. Two viewing towers were built in front of
the stage, each with two stories and six rooms. Facing the central gate of the stage is the main hall of the Daguandi Temple. Its front hall is decorated with color patterns, while the back hall has a Guangong statue and various cultural relics displayed inside. There are also many carvings and
examples of calligraphy stored in the hall. The Flower Opera Tower is of great value to the study of architectural art and traditional opera of the early and mid-Qing period. The Boxian County Museum has been set up at the site.

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Feilai Temple – the Big Temple

The Feilai Temple is located on the Feilai hillock, two kilometers north of Emei County, Sichuan Province.

The Feilai Temple, commonly known as the Big Temple, was built in the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties. The God of Dongyue Mountain statue, once enshrined in the temple, has been destroyed. The temple is three bays wide and 18.28 meters long. Unpainted clay dragons snake around two
columns standing in the temple. The lifelike dragons were carved in an architectural style typical of the Song-Yuan period. The roof is covered with small black tiles added during the Ming (1368-1644)-Qing (1644-1911) renovations.

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