City Wall of Nanjing

A southern section of the Nanjing City Wall, the reconstructed Porcelain Tower of Nanjing is visible in the background
Zhonghua Gate in the southern section of the City Wall

The City Wall of Nanjing (Chinese: 南京城墙; pinyin: Nánjīng chéngqiáng) was designed by the Hongwu Emperor (1328–1398) after he founded the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and established Nanjing as the capital in 1368. To consolidate his sovereignty and defend the city against coastal pirates, he adopted the suggestions of advisor Zhu Sheng to build a higher city wall, to expand strategic food reserve and to postpone the coronation. The construction of the wall required the labor of 200,000 workers over twenty-one years to complete. Around 7 million cubic metres of earth were shifted. The City Wall of Nanjing was among the largest city walls ever constructed in China.[1][2] The enclosed Nanjing City is about 55 square kilometers.

  1. ^ Ansight Guides (1997). Insight Guides: China 5/E. Apa Publications, original from Pennsylvania State University. p. 268. ISBN 0-395-66287-7.
  2. ^ Turnbull, Stephen R. & Steve Noon (2009). Chinese Walled Cities 221 BC-AD 1644. Osprey Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-84603-381-0.