Datong City Wall

The Datong City Wall encloses the old city of Datong in Pingcheng District, Shanxi, China, and is entered most conveniently at Yonghe Gate, the South Gate. The original Ming-era wall was built on earlier foundations and the whole circuit, about 7 km long with gate towers, corner towers and a wide moat, was extensively rebuilt in recent years, so visitors see a restored but imposing fortification rather than an untouched ruin. The rammed-earth core is faced with brick, and the top is wide enough to walk or cycle. From the ramparts visitors get views over the reconstructed streets of the old city, the gate towers and the contrast between historic rooflines and the modern skyline. The wall is a popular place to understand Datong's long role as a frontier garrison city on the edge of the steppe. A typical visit takes one to two hours: climbing to the top, walking a section of the rampart, and descending to the moat-side promenade. The best vantage points are the South Gate tower looking north along the central axis, and the moat-side path below for full-frontal photographs of the gate. Evenings are the most atmospheric time, when the towers are floodlit and local residents gather to stroll, dance and fly kites. Daytime crowds are modest outside national holidays. The wall is easy to combine on foot with Huayan Temple and the Nine Dragon Wall in the same compact old city, and a late afternoon on the wall followed by dinner on nearby streets is a common plan.