City Wall At Night

Xi'an

The 12m-high (40ft) city wall of Ming Xi'an was built during the reign of the first Ming emperor, Hongwu, in 1370. This wall is still intact, providing an impressive sight but also a frustrating barrier to modern traffic into and out of the old city.

The Ming city, impressive as it is, was only a regional administrative seat rather than an imperial capital. Measuring 4.2 x 2.65 km (2.6 x 1.6 miles), the city walls actually outline the precincts of the former Tang Imperial Palace; Tang Chang'an measured 6mi x 5.3mi, and its palace alone would thus have filled the entire Ming city that was built in 1370.