Xi'an Walled City

Xi'an's city wall, built under the Hongwu Emperor between 1370 and 1378 on the foundations of the Tang imperial palace city, is the most completely preserved ancient city wall in China. The circuit measures 13.74 kilometres, reaches 12 metres in height, and averages 15 metres in width at the top — wide enough for horse carriages to pass abreast, and now wide enough for bicycles and electric patrol vehicles. The wall was extensively restored in the 1980s and 1990s but the underlying Ming-period masonry fabric is authentic.

The city enclosed within the wall — roughly 11 km² — retains the orthogonal grid of its Tang predecessor, with East Street, West Street, South Street, and North Street meeting at the Bell Tower intersection. This grid remains the navigation logic of the old city, though the streets have widened beyond their original dimensions and the building stock is a mixture of periods from the Republican era to contemporary construction.

The residential lanes inside the walls — particularly those south of West Street and east of South Street — have a more intact historic atmosphere than the main commercial arteries. Some lanes retain courtyard buildings with wooden screens and tile roofs; others are twentieth-century brick construction on the original street lines. The mix is authentically urban rather than restored and staged.

The South Gate (Yongning Gate) is the most architecturally complete of the four main gates, with an intact barbican and watchtower complex. An admission fee allows access to the gate interior and the wall circuit; rental bicycles are available at this and other access points along the perimeter.