Ruins of the Yuan Dynasty Capital City Wall

Ruins of the Yuan Dynasty Capital City Wall

The ruins of the Yuan Dynasty capital city wall are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ruins of the Yuan Dynasty capital city wall are located in the districts of Chaoyang and Haidian in Beijing. They are the remnants of the outer city wall of the Yuan Dynasty’s Dadu, primarily built with rammed earth and commonly referred to as the “Earth Wall.”

The wall was initially constructed in the fourth year of the Zhiyuan era (1267) during the reign of Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, and was completed in the nineteenth year of the Zhizheng era (1359) under Emperor Shundi. To strengthen defenses, barbicans and drawbridges were built at eleven of the city gates. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the original Yuan walls were reinforced with bricks, and the northern section of the Yuan city was moved 1 kilometer south, where the Ming city wall was rebuilt. As a result, the northern and the northern section of the western walls from the Yuan Dynasty have been preserved.

The wall was entirely built with rammed earth. To reinforce the structure, “Yongding pillars” (vertical columns) and “? pillars” (horizontal beams) were used within the earthen body. The architectural style, construction techniques, and the meticulous, well-planned design of the Yuan Dynasty capital city wall serve as important physical evidence for the study of Yuan Dynasty architecture, urban engineering, and the development history of Beijing.

In May 2006, the ruins of the Yuan Dynasty capital city wall were designated as part of the sixth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units