City Wall of Nanjing 南京城墙Nánjīng Chéngqiáng

Why go to City Wall of Nanjing

Built after Nanjing became the Ming capital in 1368, the city wall once ran 35.3 km around the inner city and about 25 km still stands. Zhonghua Gate in the south is its showpiece, a fortress gate with three enclosed courtyards, and you can climb up to walk the top. Other long stretches run beside Xuanwu Lake and past Jiming Temple.

The story

The Hongwu Emperor had the wall follow hills, lakes and the Qinhuai River rather than a neat square, which gave it its irregular shape. Many of the bricks are stamped with the names of the counties and makers that supplied them, a quality-control system that lets you read the empire's logistics in the masonry.

What to see at City Wall of Nanjing

• Zhonghua Gate 中华门: Also known as Jubao Gate, a fortress gate about 128 m deep, with three courtyards linked by four arched gateways; from the top you look across the old south of the city.
• Ramparts and arched chambers 瓮城与藏兵洞: Inside the gate complex are 27 vaulted chambers, once used to store supplies and shelter troops, which you can step into for a sense of the scale of the fortification.
• Zhonghua Gate wall museum 南京城墙博物馆: A museum beside the gate explains how the wall was planned, built and later restored.
• Xuanwu Lake stretch 玄武湖城墙: A long section of rampart beside Xuanwu Lake offers a flat, scenic walk with lake and city views.
• Jiming Temple stretch 鸡鸣寺城墙: The wall near Jiming Temple makes an easy pairing with the temple's pagoda and cherry blossom in spring.

How to visit City Wall of Nanjing

Go to Zhonghua Gate first: walk up to the top, along the ramparts and through the courtyards, then drop into the museum. That takes 1–2 hours; with a full day you can add the Xuanwu Lake and Jiming Temple sections by Metro.

How to get to City Wall of Nanjing

Zhonghua Gate lies at the south end of Zhonghua Road, about 3 km south of Xinjiekou, and is about 10 minutes' walk from Zhonghuamen station on Metro Line 1. It is a short taxi ride or a 25–30 minute walk from Fuzimiao.

Where to stay

Base yourself in Xinjiekou or the Fuzimiao area, which are both on the Metro and within easy reach of Zhonghua Gate.

What to eat

• Duck oil shaobing 鸭油酥烧饼: A flaky baked bun brushed with duck fat, filled with spring onion or meat, a classic Nanjing snack.
• Salted duck 盐水鸭: Lightly salted and cold-served, Nanjing's best-known dish.
• Duck blood and vermicelli soup 鸭血粉丝汤: A warm bowl of duck blood, tofu and glass noodles in a light broth, sold all over the city.

Tips for visiting City Wall of Nanjing

• The walkable sections are mostly open air with steep steps and little shade; bring water and avoid midday in summer.
• Zhonghua Gate is best combined with Fuzimiao, which is close by; the other wall sections can be reached separately by Metro or taxi.
• The Nanjing City Wall Museum at Zhonghua Gate is closed on Mondays except public holidays; check at the gate which wall sections are open before planning a long walk.

Nearby

• Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai River 夫子庙—秦淮风光带 under 10 km
  Nanjing's lantern-lit Confucius Temple quarter, beside painted boats on the Qinhuai
• Purple Mountain & Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum 南京钟山风景区 under 10 km
  A forested mountain on Nanjing's edge, crowned by a blue-roofed hilltop tomb
• Slender West Lake 瘦西湖 70 km
  A ribbon of willow-fringed water lined with the pavilions of Qing salt merchants

Also within 30 km: Great Bao'en Temple Heritage Park 大报恩寺遗址公园 (under 10 km), Jinling Arsenal (Chenguang 1865 Creative Park) 金陵兵工厂旧址 (under 10 km), Zhan Garden 瞻园 (under 10 km), Former Residence of Gan Xi 甘熙故居 (under 10 km), Yuhuatai (Rain Flower Terrace) 雨花台 (under 10 km), Chaotian Palace 朝天宫 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open City Wall of Nanjing on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia (Chinese)