符号江苏.口袋本.南京城墙(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)

作者：杨国庆

出版社：江苏人民出版社

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符号江苏.口袋本.南京城墙试读：

Introduction

Built in the mid-14th century, the Nanjing City Walls (NCW) were built to defend this new capital in the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. With rolling hills and meandering rivers surrounding the planned urban areas, the city had a natural defensive terrain much like a crouching tiger and a coiling dragon. However, these topographical features were also obstacles for the builders in terms of applying architectural concepts, building materials, technology, and techniques. The architectural structures and characteristics of the NCW were in harmony with the city’s geological and topographical features. Indeed, the walls were a perfect manniage of innovations to traditional architecture and the city's natural environment.

Four rings of the city wall divided Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, into four sections: the palace, the imperial quarters, the capital, and the suburbs. The 33.676-kilometer-long NCW we refer to today is actually only the third ring of the city wall outside the capital as it was built in the Ming Dynasty. The construction of the walls followed neither the square nor rectangular design as was the precedent set by other cities, and featured unique design concepts, exquisite building techniques, and was of a massive scale. The walls were the culmination of hundreds of years of ancient Chinese urban design, architectural technique, and urban military defense systems. With the labor of over a million people from the vast regions of the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, it took the imperial government more than 28 years to complete the construction.

The NCW was of great significance because it represented both a continuation of its heritage and the progressive innovation. It was not only a symbol of the first capital city to be designated by a unified dynasty in the southern part of China, but also a blueprint for the design and construction of Beijing in later Ming and Qing Dynasties. The recruitment of craftsmen from the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River to make the city wall bricks at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty greatly promoted brick-making technology and techniques. With the enhancement of national strength and economy, many cities, especially cities in northern China, began to utilize the techniques in building walls with bricks on the external fa?ade. A case in point was the renovations to the Great Wall during the mid and late Ming Dynasty. The construction of walls with bricks greatly encouraged the development of the brick and tile manufacturing industries and the dissemination of knowledge about city building techniques.

Despite the test of time, wars, and a partial dismantling by people who failed to recognize its importance, two thirds of the original walls still stand, making the remaining span the longest brick wall in China and in the world. In 1988, this section of the wall was listed as a key cultural relic under national protection.

In the past thirty years, the value of the NCW as a cultural relic has been universally recognized. Through massive repair and restoration work, the scenic portions of the remaining wall have achieved initial success. The NCW has been included as a candidate in the Chinese Ming & Qing City Walls Project for “World Cultural Heritage.” This reflects the status and value of the NCW in today’s society and culture. As a cultural landmark for modern Nanjing and the largest historical structure of the city, the NCW has attracted an increasing number of visitors from home and abroad.

Indeed, the best way to get to know Nanjing is to walk along the Nanjing City Wall.

The Construction of the City Walls of Nanjing

The Nanjing City Walls underwent two primary periods of construction.Wall within the Wall

1. Beginning of the Construction Period

The beginning period of the construction for the Nanjing City Walls lasted from 1366 to 1372. The Major projects included: (1) demolishing the entire northern section and nearly half of the eastern section of the city walls of the City of Responding to Heaven (Yingtian Fu);(2) building a new royal palace (the first ring of city walls) by reclaiming Songbirds Lake (Yanque Hu); (3) renovating existing city walls, building city gates and moats according to the new city design. Earlier city walls were 10 meters high, 5 meters wide (some sections were even narrower). But the city walls of the new capital used tomb bricks from the Six Dynasties Period(220-581BC) and old bricks (so-called smaller city wall bricks), miscellaneous non-inscribed bricks of varying sizes, stones, and a small quantity of military bricks from the early Ming Dynasty. Among them, stones were the primary material used.

Nanjing’s new city wall (the third ring of the city walls) was prepared for Zhu Yuanzhang’s coronation on January 23, 1368 even before it was completed. After the Ming Dynasty was established, the building project of Nanjing became an important state project as the symbol of the capital.

On January 5, 1372, the moat dredging project outside Three Hill Gate (Sanshan Gate) was close to completion. Zhu Yuanzhang led Prime Minister Wang Guangyang and others to inspect the project on site. Zhu Yuanzhang mounted the Gate Tower and saw a near-naked man searching for something in the moat. Zhu was curious and sent for people to inquire. Word came back that a foreman had thrown the man’s hoe in the moat and could not be found. Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the man to stop searching and promised to give him a new one. But the man wanted his own hoe and kept searching anyway. Zhu Yuanzhang then ordered several strong men to help the man. Soon the farmers hoe was found. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious about the foreman’s mischievous act because laborers worked on the project day and night for years and endured unimaginable hardship. But the foreman amused himself by making fun of the farmer, which was unforgivable to Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu ordered to arrest the foreman and sentenced him to being beaten with bamboo cane on the spot. (This was a common form of punishment in ancient times wherein criminals were beaten with tree branches or bamboo canes). After that, Zhu Yuanzhang said to Wang Guangyang and the entourage, “Today we wear fur coats, but we still feel cold. These laborers did not have warm clothes on. How can ordinary people endure this pain and suffering?” He immediately issued an order to halt the moat dredging project outside the Three Hill Gate and released all laborers and masons and let them go home. This happened in the early period of the construction. In the large-scale construction period, the project was funded by the imperial government. Zhu Yuanzhang made fewer on-site inspections. And from the second year on, the of the construction city walls in both Nanjing and Fengyang were resumed.

2. Large Scale Construction

The large scale construction period for the city walls peaked from 1372 to 1396. Major projects included:(1) building the Imperial City Wall (second ring); (2) building the Outer City Wall (fourth ring) and completing the general framework of the four ring walls of the Palace City, the Imperial City, the Capital City and the Outer City; (3) heightening and thickening the Capital City Wall by using bricks and huge stone slabs made at different locations; and (4) constructing various shapes of barbicans inside and outside the city gates. During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang had unified China by force and had created a stable and centralized imperial government. All these helped ensure the completion of the reconstruction project in the capital.

On May 28, 1375, Zhu Yuanzhang personally inspected the construction project in his hometown, Fengyang (the Central Capital City). Upon returning to Nanjing on the same day, he ordered the suspension of this project, which was beginning to take shape. According to historical records, Zhu Yuanzhang originally wanted to follow the traditional capital construction system, which was to build two capitals. However, after the inspection, he realized the project was too large and strenuous for the builders. He could not bear to inflict hardship upon his people. As a result, he suspended the construction at Central Capital City. In fact, there were many reasons for the suspension, but two primary reasons stood out: one, the imperial officials’ opposition represented by Liu Ji, the designer of the city of Nanjing. There were many stories spread around about Liu Ji’s opposition to building the Central Capital City. The other was frequent rebellion by the builders in both Nanjing and the Central Capital City. Though all rebellions were suppressed, Zhu Yuanzhang was sensitive to the resentment of people and thus abandoned the project.

After giving up Fengyang as a second capital, Zhu Yuanzhang amassed more manpower and funding to build the city of Nanjing proper than was used in building the new town of the City of Responding to Heaven (Yingtain Fu). The construction of the Nanjing city walls exceeded any other city wall-building project in Chinese history in regard to its immense labor force, funding, scope, and careful management.

3. The Builders

The centralized imperial government of the early Ming Dynasty adopted effective top-down managerial methods to ensure quality and promote progress. These measures were mainly implemented by various levels of officials and first-line organizers in rural areas, primarily through managing “men.” The enormous number of builders came from all walks of life including officials, soldiers, laborers, masons, and even prisoners. The number of people from each group varied.North side of the Meridian Gate of Nanjing

According to preliminary statistics, the total number of builders involved in city wall construction reached over a million, and they came from all over China.

Officials were a special group of people numbering in the several thousands. They were assigned by the imperial government to perform all kinds of managerial work in the city wall construction. Because they were appointed by the imperial government, they were fundamentally different from ordinary builders who toiled on the wall. Apart from supervising masons and laborers, they were also responsible for ensuring construction quality, technology and building materials allocation, and project progress.The Meridian Gate of the Central Capital Palace in Fengyang

Military laborers, including military servicemen and military craftsmen, were one of the main labor forces in the construction, totaling well over 200,000. They completed almost all city fortification work in the initial and final periods of the construction process. The servicemen in Nanjing at the time had three major tasks: namely, defense, growing food, and building the city, the last being the most laborious. At the same time, they had to transport bricks to the construction site.

Laborers, including workmen and brick makers, were another main source of labor. From 1370 to 1384, having conducted only 2 labor recruitments, the total number exceeded 910,000 people. By theoretical accounting the total number of laborers used in the entire construction was well over 7,000,000. They came from rural areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In addition, thousands of off-site laborers like lumberjacks, brick makers, and building material transporters worked in local areas for this monumental project.Brick inscriptionBrick inscription

Craftsmen were skilled workers specializing in various fields. There were over 10,000 of these men with various skill sets. Although this group was not the greatest in number, they were an important group of people. They played important roles in areas that required skill and techniques, such as gate towers, gate archways, water dispersal systems, waterproofing of wall surfaces and drainage systems, masonry skills, foundation treatment, and collection and production of the building materials(kiln and lime manufacture).

Prisoners were an undocumented number of builders in the construction. They were given the heaviest workload among all builders. According to the Imperial regulations, prisoners had to wear heavy chains while working, which drained additional energy from them every day. If a prisoner died during the sentence term, the prisoner’s father or brother would be sent to Nanjing to continue what the dead hadn't finished until the full sentenced term was served. In fact, the last part of city wall construction was completed by prison labor.

4. Building Materials and Transportation

The Nanjing City Walls utilized a larger amount of building materials than any other single construction project in Nanjing. In addition to the wall body (including the foundations) for the Palace City, the Imperial City, the Capital City and the Outer City, there were waterproofing and drainage systems, city gates, drawbridges, and dozens of magnificent gate towers. Building materials for wall bodies were generally city wall bricks, stone slabs, flagstones, timber, lime powder (including other adhesive materials), and dye materials. It could hardly be imagined that building materials of such vastness, multiplicity, and variety came from all parts of China.

City Wall Bricks, also called official bricks, official tiles, tribute bricks, royal bricks, were the largest in quantity of all the building materials used in the construction. It was estimated that over 100,000,000 bricks were used. Each brick weighed 20 kg with a size of 40×20×10 cm. If bricks were lined up in a single file, it could circle the equator once. Yet no documents record the immense quantity, uniform size, and miscellaneous production sites of these bricks. Only through studies of the brick inscriptions can we trace some information about these culturally valuable city wall bricks.Mount Lion section of the City Wall

Timber was another major source of building material for the construction. Timber was mainly used in strengthening soft foundations and building city gate towers (some even used valuable camphor wood). Massive amounts of timber came from Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Shanxi, Beijing, Nanjing, and Yunnan. For example, in the year of 1384, Lingshuo Timber Mill in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province contributed 290,000 logs in a single order from the government.Rubbings of stone cliff calligraphyWood piles

Based on archaeological findings, there were over 1,700 wood piles in a foundation area of 15-meter-long city wall. Hammered into the foundation, the piles of reddish wood were about 4.8-meters long with triangular points at the end. Typical wood piles were 3 to 6 meters long.

Stones were used in large quantities in the construction. The walls from Tongji Gate to Three Hills Gate were mostly made of stone slabs (except for the bricks used for the top, inner and outer walls). Stones were also used in some wall foundations, wall plinths, the pavement of gate passageways, and some arches of the city gates (such as Treasure Bowl Gate, etc.). In 1999, the author personally conducted a field survey of several stone pits from the Ming Dynasty in Fanchang County and saw half of a mountain was removed, leaving chisel marks from 600 years ago on the cliff sections. The scene was magnificent and powerful.oS2t0ne flag holder on City Wall

Adhesive Materials made from mixed liquids were extensively applied between city wall bricks in Nanjing. No official or unofficial records could be found about them. For 600 years, only by guessing, touching, and imagination can people begin to know the hard milky materials with air bubbles found between the bricks. Stories and tales passed down from generations tell us that “Zhu Yuanzhang used glutinous rice liquid as mortar to make city walls.” Though tempered for 600 years, the adhesive materials in the walls are still soft and have not solidified. So it still remains an unresolved mystery whether the walls used glutinous rice liquid or not.White adhesive material

Transportation: Studies on the sources of city wall bricks indicated that the bricks and other building materials were mainly transported via waterways. The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were the main transportation hubs connecting other rivers and lakes. Places along the Yangtze River were assigned to make city wall bricks and provide other building materials, but were also tasked with transporting them to Nanjing. To ensure transportation, a special Brick Pass rule was adopted. The Yangtze River patrol inspectors would inspect all returning boats from Nanjing after unloading the bricks. If a boat did not have the Brick Pass, its owner would be arrested and punished.Bird’s eye view of the Nanjing City Wall

Distinctive Features and Value of the Nanjing City Walls

1. Unusual Aspects of the Planning of the Capital City

The Ming Dynasty city walls of Nanjing were described as being born of “exhaustion of human intelligence, extreme consideration of the surrounding dangers, and a product made by heaven”. Well said, indeed. One example of this was the general layout of the city, which consisted of four rings of city walls including Palace City, Imperial City, Capital City and Outer City. Inside the walls, there were not only mountains, lakes, rivers, official residences, civilian dwellings, but also military barracks, businesses, and worship sites. Royal palaces, central and local governments, farm lands, and state granaries were perfectly planned within the city walls.Map of Ming Dynasty capitalThe Meridian Gate of Nanjing

The Palace City, nicknamed the Forbidden City, was the heart of the Capital. It was located in the eastern quarter of Nanjing and surrounded by a royal moat. Ordered by Zhu Yuanzhang, its exact location was determined by Liu Ji, a master astrologist. The location was originally called Songbirds Lake because of the low ground. By removing alluvial mud and sand from the lake, filling up the lake with dirt, adding piles of wood, and laying down stone slabs, the Palace City was built with its front gate facing south. It was rectangular in shape with a length of 2.5 kilometers from north to south and a width of 2 kilometers from east to west. The palace itself was composed of two major parts: three halls in the front and six royal residences in the rear. Its city wall had following gates: Meridian Gate, Left Side Gate, Right Side Gate, East Gate, West Gate, and Xuanwu Gate.Meridian Gate in the present dayFoundation of the City Wall

The Imperial City was the first wall defending the Palace City. It surrounded the Palace City at varying distances from it. All the structures in both cities were generally called the Royal Palace. Designed according to the traditional system found in the Book of Rites, it had five gates and three halls. From outside to inside, the five gates were Hongwu Gate, Chengtian Gate, Rui Gate,Meridian Gate, and Fengtian Gate. Behind the five gates were Fengtian Hall, Huagai Hall, and Jinshen Hall. The design of the six palaces inherited traditional system from The Rites of Zhou. Behind the Main Palace were Heavenly Purity Palace and Kunning Palace. The main gates of both Heavenly Purity Palace and Kunning Palace were opposite to each other and were called Sun Gate and Moon Gate, symbolizing the residence of the emperor and the empress as harmonious as the sun and the moon. The Imperial City had Hongwu Gate, Left Chang’an Gate, Right Chang’an Gate, Dong’an Gate, Xi’an Gate and Bei’an Gate.“Empress Ma’s Dressing Table”Map of the Imperial City during the reign of Hongwu

The Capital City Wall was 33.676 kilometers long with 13,616 battlements, 200 sleeping quarters, and 13 gates. Its unique design was first created by Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Ji. Contrary to the rectangular design from The Artificers' Record of the Rites of Zhou and following Han and Tang Dynasties, the wall of the capital City took on a new shape which is praised by future generations. Folk legends described the wall as having the shape of a “treasure gourd,” or the shape of “Zhu Yuanzhang’s face.” Some experts claimed that the wall looked like“an irregular multi-angled, unequal-sided, non-circular, non-rectangular Zongzi (glutinous rice bun)” or a “royal fan.” In 1999, by researching the construction system of ancient city walls and the specific layout of the wall, the auther brought forth the idea that the wall was built in line with the constellation of the Dipper of the Southern Star and the Big Dipper (both part of the constellation designated as Sagittarius in Europe). The designer was the Emperor’s mastermind official and famous fortuneteller Liu Ji. Inside the brick-and-mortar manifestation of the Dipper of Southern Star lived ordinary residents, and inside the Big Dipper lived the royal family in the Palace. Such a design not only expressed the desires of the people and displayed their economic status, but also protected the most prosperous areas of Nanjing in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. More importantly, embedded with Taoist concepts and symbols, the wall embodied Zhu Yuanzhang’s desire to be at the zenith of power in heaven and on earth. Epitomized in the walls were the beliefs of“harmony between man and nature” and the “imperial mandate from heaven.”

The Outer City Wall was built by order of Zhu Yuanzhang in 1390 to supplement and strengthen the defense of the City of Nanjing. Zigzagging along the peaks of Yuhuatai, Zhongshan, Xiaoling, Mufu Mountain, numerous rivers, Xuanwu Lake, and other lakes, the wall extended 90 kilometers long. 16 city gates were built and 2 more were added, totaling18 gates. The main body of the wall took advantage of natural hills and piled dirt mounds. Only the less defensible areas of city gates were solidified with city wall bricks, nicknamed“dirt heads of the city.” The Outer City wall was in a diamond shape. Its northernmost gate was Guanyin Gate, the easternmost gate was Qilin Gate, and the southernmost gate was Jiagang Gate. Its western section was not enclosed; its south and north gaps extended to the Yangtze River bank.Sketch map of the capital city of NanjingGuanyin (Avalokite vara) Gate

The Ming City Walls of Nanjing had four rings, each featuring innovation and cultural heritage. Among the capitals in ancient China, it was uniquely different,exceptionally charming. Its design generated a new age of ancient urban planning, which left space for Nanjing’s later development. Nanjing’s urban development did not expand outside the city walls until the 1980s.City Wall remains at Cangbo Gate sectionCity Wall remains at Foning Gate sectionGuanyin (Avalokite?vara) Gate

2. City Gates of the capital

City gates were not only important passageways connecting the city to the outside world, but also key sites for sightseeing and focal points in ancient siege warfare. During the construction of the city walls, Zhu Yuanzhang exhausted his wisdom and effort to have the city gates repaired, modified, and fortified to maintain their magnificence and splendor.

The Capital City of Nanjing had thirteen city wall gates. Each gate had drawbridges as described below:

Zhengyang Gate was generally mistaken for Hongwu Gate in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Located in the southern part of Nanjing facing south, it was on the same central axis as the Hongwu Gate, directly south of the Imperial City. The Gate had 2 inner barbicans and 1 outer barbican, all rectangular. The main gate, inner and outer barbican gates formed a 4-gate defensive point. The inner barbican gates and the capital city gate were situated on a straight line. Made of arched bricks and stone slabs, the outer barbican gate was on the eastern side of the barbican. All formal imperial ceremonies (royal worships, welcoming and seeing off honored guests) went through this gate. Thus it was also called the Gate of the State. In the summer of 1928 this gate was renamed Guanghua Gate by the Nationalist Government.

Tongji Gate was also located in the southern part of the city facing south. Inside the gate the business district located in the southwestern area, and the Palace quarter in the northeast.Sketch map of multi-barbican Zhengyang Gate

The inner barbican had a “boat” shape with a number of small hidden chambers. The three inner barbican gates and the main gate were on a vertical line and formed a 4-gate defense system. Each had an arched shape, and the 3 barbicans gates and the main gate were on the vertical axis from south to north. The drawbridge towers and gate towers were built on the city gates. In the inner barbicans were built drawbridge towers. Tongji Gate had the largest footprint among all thirteen gates of the capital city.Tongji Gate and its inner barbica4n7s

Treasure Bowl Gate was the former South Gate. It was used in the early period of Hongwu’s reign (1368-1398BC). It was rebuilt in 1386 on the original site. It was named Treasure Bowl Gate because outside the gate was Treasure Bowl Mountain (presently Yuhua Mountain). Facing south, the gate was located in the southern part of Nanjing. Presently only the gate foundation remains; its gate tower no longer exists. Among the 13 gates of the Capital City, this gate was the most spectacular. There were many folk stories about this gate. The narrow passageway of the gate plus four sets of doors made it very difficult for people and livestock to go through. Thus people called it “being in a pickle.” In the summer of 1928, it was renamed as Zhonghua Gate by the Nationalist Government.

Three Hill Gate (Sanshan Gate) was called Longguang Gate, Shuixi Gate, Xiashui Gate in the Southern Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties. Facing west, it was located in the western part of Nanjing. In the early years of the Hongwu reign period, it was used without any modifications, but it was rebuilt in 1386. The main gate and the three inner barbican gates were on a straight horizontal axis from east to west. All gates were arched. On the south side of the gate was a water gate, namely the west water gate. The Three Hill Gate was similar to the inner barbican of Tongji Gate. Though not as grand as Treasure Bowl Gate and Tongji Gate in size and magnificence, it did surpass the other gates both aesthetically and functionally.Three Hill Gate and its moat

Shicheng Gate, presently Hanxi Gate, faced west and was located in the western part of Nanjing. The gate is now preserved in Shimin Square of Hanzhong Gate. Nothing remains of the Gate Tower. In the Southern Tang Dynasty it was called Daxi Gate, as it was in both the Song and Yuan dynasties. Zhu Yuanzhang renamed it Jianxi Gate. Later it was renamed once again as Shicheng Gate because it looked towards the Stone City (Shitou City). The foundation of the city gate was 37 meters long and 32 meters wide (including the thickness of outer city wall). The arch-shaped main gate and two inner barbicans, gates were on a straight horizontal axis from east to west. Among the rebuilt gates of Treasure Bowl Gate, Three Hill Gate, and Shicheng Gate in 1385, was the smallest in size and underwent the greatest number of name changes.Emperor Kangxi’s Southern Inspection TripNanjing City Walls in county annals

Qingliang Gate was located in the western part of Nanjing. Now only the foundation remains, and nothing remains of the gate tower. Facing west, it was called Qingliang Gate before 1575. This gate had one arched passageway with two sets of double doors and one gate bar lock on the outside of the doors. Nanjing folklore notes that “The Capital City had 13 gates and the Outer City had 18 gates. But this is the only gate that had a lock on the outside of the doors.”Qingliang Gate

Dinghuai Gate was located in the western part of the city and faced west. It was built in the early period of Hongwu’s reign. Because it was close to Ma’an Mountain, so was also called Ma’an Gate. Outside the gate was the Longjiang Treasure Shipyard. In 1374, it was renamed Dinghuai Gate and garrisoned with soldiers. The gate archway was 8-meters high, 6-meters wide, and 25-metesr deep. The outer archway was built with a single layer of stones. The top part of the gate was built with city wall bricks. Prior to 1862, the gate was sealed for defensive purposes.Dinghuai GateA distant view of Dinghuai Gate

Yifeng Gate was located between Mount Lion and Mount Xiuqiu. Facing west, it was built in the early reign of Hongwu. Situated on the bank of Yangtze River at the southern foot of Mount Lion (then called Lulong Mountain), it was less than 1 kilometer away from Zhongfu Gate. For defensive purposes, it was sealed together with Zhongfu Gate prior to 1465, and was reopened after 1659. In the summer of 1928, it was renamed as Xingzhong Gate by the Nationalist Government.

Zhongfu Gate was located in the northern part of the city. Facing east, it was built parallel to Yifeng Gate on each side of Mount Lion, opposite each other. In the early period of Hongwu reign, it was called East Gate. In 1378, it was renamed as Zhongfu Gate because it was facing Mount Zhong. It has been sealed since 1465.

Jinchuan Gate was located in the northern part of Nanjing and faced north. Its name came through the Jinchuan River that flowed out of the city through this gate. In the year 1402, Prince Yan, Zhu Di (Emperor Yongle) seized Nanjing via Longtan. Gushuren (18th son of Zhu Yuanzhang) and Li Jinglong opened the Jinchuan Gate to welcome Prince Yan’s army entering the city. Afterwards, Zhu Di sent Zhao Hui (husband of the 16th princess of Zhu Yuanzhang) to assume the post of commanding officer of one thousand soldiers at Jingchuan Gate.

Shence Gate was located in the northern part of Nanjing, faced north, and was the best preserved of all gates. Its gate tower was rebuilt in 1461. Zheng Chenggong was defeated outside Shence Gate in 1658. Therefore, it was renamed as Victory Gate (Desheng Gate) in the Qing Dynasty. Later it resumed its former name of Shence Gate. In 1892 the gate tower was seriously damaged, but due to lack of funds the local magistrate downsized it to the same gate tower size as that of Huai’an County. It was renamed as Heping Gate by the Nationalist Government in the summer of 1928.Shence Gate

Taiping Gate was located in the northern part of the city and faced north. It was situated at the southwestern foot of Mount Zhong. As a critical site to defend the shortest passageway to the city from Mount Zhong, it became a contested place by all military strategists. Outside the gate were the official seats of Ministry of Punishment and other law enforcement agencies, and thus gained its name Peace Gate.

Chaoyang Gate, on the present site of Zhongshan Gate, was located in the eastern part of the city and faced east. It was called Chaoyang Gate because it was facing east and right in front of the Palace City. In the Ming Dynasty, Shengongjian (supervisor of the eunuchs caring for royal tombs) made his annual contribution of fresh ginger, fruits, perfumes and balsam to Zhu Yuanzhang and theroyal family through this gate. In 1865 a barbican was built outside the gate to strengthen defense. The barbican had a semi-oval shape built on the north side of the outer wall. The gate archway was built with city wall bricks. In summer 1928 the Nationalist Government renamed it Zhongshan Gate.Chaoyang Gate

The multitude of designs of Nanjing’s city wall gates not only contributed a splendid chapter to the history of the city walls, but they were also the embodiment of the creativity of its builders and designers. They invented new architectural forms for city gates while fully satisfying the needs of defense. City gates and city walls formed a perfect harmony of magnificence and uniqueness, existing in a natural unity.

3. Brick Inscriptions and Brick Making Techniques

The brick inscriptions of the Nanjing Ming Dynasty City Walls are the largest in quantity throughout China. They occupy a significant place in the Chinese history of ancient brick inscription.

City Wall Brick Inscriptions

According to preliminary estimates, there were several hundred million bricks used in Nanjing’s City Walls. Generally speaking, each city wall brick was 40-45 centimeters long, 20 centimeters wide and 10-12centimeters thick. Since the bricks came from different places, their quality and nature were also different(Some were made of clay; others were made of sand and kaolin, etc.). Most bricks had inscriptions, from one word, one symbol or a mark to as many as seventy words. Inscriptions on the bricks were not only a great characteristic of the wall, but also provide a valuable record for the historical and cultural heritage.Brick inscription

Who provided such an enormous quantity of bricks? Scant records have been found to answer this question. After decades of research by archaeologists, we now have reports, but the data is still incomplete. The city wall bricks came from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the 5 provinces of Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, and Hubei. Military troops, the ministry of construction, and nearly 200 work units in these provinces, prefectures, and counties made this gigantic task possible. Their tasks included making adobe, firing the bricks, and transporting the bricks.Illustration map of City Wall brick production locations

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