Tongyuanmen City Wall Ruins Park

　　    Tongyuanmen City Wall Ruins Park is located at Qixinggang in Yuzhong District, Chongqing. It was a key construction project of Yuzhong District in 2004, invested by the Yuzhong District government. Construction started on April 1, 2004, and the park was completed and opened to the public in February 2005. The park consists of a plaza, city walls, and sculptures. The sculptures depict historical stories of building, defending, and attacking the old city wall, supplemented by two sets of folk-themed sculptures—"Frying Rice Sugar Tea" and "Sedan Chair"—creating a strong local vibe. It is one of the places where visitors can experience Chongqing’s history and culture.

　　    The ancient city of Chongqing had seventeen city gates, "nine open and eight closed," built according to the layout of the "nine palaces and eight trigrams" to symbolize an "impregnable fortress." Tongyuanmen, located to the due west, was the only land gate of Chongqing, serving as the starting point for overland travel to other regions, hence the name "Tongyuan" (which means "reaching far").

　　    The predecessor of Tongyuanmen was Zhenximen. Its foundation dates back to the Jiangzhou city wall built by Li Yan, the Shu Protector-General, in the fourth year of the Jianxing era (226 AD) during the Three Kingdoms period, and the stone-based wall constructed by Peng Daya in 1238 AD during the Southern Song Dynasty to resist the Mongol cavalry. The existing city wall and gate ruins were built from stone on the original wall foundation by Dai Ding in the early Hongwu years of the Ming Dynasty. Over centuries of change and warfare, the Tongyuanmen city wall has stood through wind and rain for more than six hundred years, silently witnessing the historical development of Chongqing.

　　    In 226 AD, the fourth year of the Jianxing era during the Three Kingdoms period under Emperor Liu Shan of Shu, Protector-General Li Yan relocated to defend Jiangzhou (now Chongqing) and oversaw the construction of a new city, which spanned 16 li and reached what is now Tongyuanmen. Since its construction, Tongyuanmen has witnessed two fierce battles, which are recorded in the reliefs at the site: Zhang Jue’s last stand at Tongyuanmen. In 1259 AD, after the death of Mongol Khan Möngke at Diaoyucheng, the Mongol troops retreated to the grasslands. In 1271, Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty, and in 1276, he captured Lin’an, leading to the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty. In 1278, the Yuan army launched a fierce attack on Chongqing, and defending general Zhang Jue resisted the Yuan forces, with blood splattering the Tongyuanmen gate. The second battle was when Zhang Xianzhong breached Tongyuanmen. In 1644, the 17th year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Xianzhong, leader of the peasant rebellion, led 600,000 troops to besiege Chongqing. After six days of intense fighting, they finally broke through Tongyuanmen and occupied this key stronghold in eastern Sichuan. Especially after the latter battle, the heavy casualties led to the area around Qixinggang outside Tongyuanmen becoming a “mass grave,” which is the origin of the line in the "Chongqing Ballad" that goes, “Tongyuanmen, drums and gongs sound, come see the dead being buried.” Even today, in Chongqing drinking games, there is still a saying: “Qixinggang is haunted.”

　　    Today, Tongyuanmen is one of only two remaining city gates in Chongqing, and the section of city wall at Tongyuanmen is the only relatively well-preserved section of the ancient city wall. As a "famous historical and cultural city" approved by the State Council, rescuing and protecting historical relics has become especially important in the new round of urban development and construction. On July 16, 2003, the Yuzhong District government officially initiated the project and confirmed the establishment of Tongyuanmen Ancient City Wall Ruins Park...

　　    The Tongyuanmen and ancient city wall ruins are located along Zhongshan First Road at Qixinggang in Yuzhong District. What was once the edge of the old Chongqing urban area has, over time and with the expansion of the city, become part of a main urban thoroughfare where four roads intersect. The area sees constant traffic and flows of people every day. Residential buildings from different historical periods have been built attached to the city wall. Life thrives both above and below the wall, and what was once a strategic pass defending the city has now become a place where people live in peace and prosperity.