Ancient wall in the south of the city
( chinadaily.com.cn )
Updated: 2014-03-31
In the first year of the reign of Tang Emperor Taizong (AD 627), Wenjiang town has got its name and a wall was built here. The wall, originally made of clay, was rebuilt with stones in the Chenghua period of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).
In 1776, after the alteration of the brick wall, the length of the wall was extended from 661 zhang (2,203 meters) to 737.6 zhang (2458 meters). Then five gates, including the eastern gate in Hening, the larger southern gate in Wenming, the smaller southern gate in Zanyuan, the western gate in Qingfeng and the northern gate in Gongchen, were built, displaying a scale of great magnificence.
In 1811, the wall collapsed, and it took three years for the wall to be repaired. After transformation, moats were dug out and willows were planted along the dikes. Since then, the wall has been known as the “wall with willows.” From the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the Republic of China, the wall was greatly damaged. Its original appearance was ruined.
In the 1950s, the construction of the county left only dozens of pieces of the ancient wall. In September 2001, the Wenjiang government got down to repairing and restoring the remaining wall to improve its appearance.
Edited by Michael Thai