For Nanjing people, the "city wall" is a big architectural object that is too familiar. There will be a long or short city wall accompanying us in every city, whether it is in the east, west, or west. Perhaps because he was too familiar with it, he never deliberately came to the city wall to take a walk. Occasionally, I will visit the city wall as a tourist destination because I accompany friends from other places. In 2021, we climbed the Zhonghua Gate Tower due to a mistake. The display and exhibition in the Zhonghua Gate Tower gave me the idea of carefully and systematically walking around Nanjing's city wall. The theme of the exhibition in the tower is "Celebration of the City", which introduces the customs of Nanjing people in celebrating the Spring Festival. From the beginning of the New Year, there is a saying every day. Among them,"Climb the city top on the 16th of the first month, step on the peace and walk away from all kinds of diseases." custom. On the 16th day of the first month of 2021, at the suggestion of our children, we chose the custom ceremony of walking the city wall from the Yijiangmen Gate Tower to the Dinghuaimen Gate Tower. A few days ago, I had nothing to do and went to Jiuhuashan Park, which I had never been to. I accidentally arrived at Taiping Gate, climbed the city wall, and headed all the way to Taicheng, where I could see the scenery and scenery from the city wall. When I came back, I began to do my homework to understand the Nanjing Ming City Wall in detail, and also planned to visit the sections of the city wall that I had not yet visited. I also want to organize the sections of the city wall that I once stepped on into a series of travel notes on the city wall and introduce them to everyone.

Think about the Zhongshanmen City Wall that I accompanied my classmate's daughter to a few years ago. The travel notes were not updated in time at that time, so this article has been stranded for several years. The recent trip to the city wall reminded me, so let's find these "old" photos to make a memory first!

Walking time: 2017.12

Walking style: Cycling, walking

Attractions: Zhongshanmen City Wall

Address: Nanjing Zhongshanmen

Tickets: 10 yuan

Standing under the city wall and looking up at the majestic Zhongshan Gate, the three-pass gate is the entrance of the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway into Nanjing City. In order to facilitate traffic inside and outside the city, additional two-lane driving tunnels have been opened on both sides below the city gate. I am very familiar with this door, because I live in the east of the city. When we don't have access to Metro Line 2, whether it's driving or taking the public transport, this is the only way for us. Walking through the city gate every day and looking at the city wall, do you feel aesthetic fatigue like turning a blind eye? In fact, it's not. I still feel its momentum when I look at it every day. There are different costumes on the city wall in different seasons and festivals.

There are stairs at the southern end of the west side of the city gate to reach the city wall

A brief introduction to the Nanjing City Wall on the stele

It introduces the history of the Zhongshanmen City Wall and the process from establishment to expansion to repair.

Zhongshanmen City Wall requires a ticket of 10 yuan. The three gates of the city wall are very wide.

The Zhongshan Gate located in the east of the city was originally located at Chaoyang Gate in the Ming Dynasty. It was one of the thirteen inner city gates of Nanjing's Ming City Wall and the only east gate of Nanjing City in the Ming Dynasty. It was named because it was the first to welcome the sun. As the east gate of Nanjing, Zhongshanmen is the most important exit channel connecting Nanjing City and the eastern suburbs. It is said that Mr. Sun Yat-sen's coffin also entered Nanjing through this gate. Now we are standing in the middle of the city wall, climbing and looking far away, with a great view. The wide highway runs through the arms of the city wall. There is also wide urban transportation on both sides. These roads show that Zhongshanmen is an important traffic artery in the east of Nanjing. It is not only leading to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Scenic Area, but also the only way to Ninghang Road and Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway.

In the middle of the large oval playground between the highway and urban transportation, there is a tall and powerful stone statue of a mythical beast to ward off evil spirits. When entering the city from the east, you will pass by the stone statue of evil spirits, which is the image symbol of Nanjing.

On the south side of the highway is the rippling crescent moon lake and the beautiful urban buildings by the lake.

On the north side of the city wall is the continuous Zhongshan Mountain. The winding city wall extends all the way. Mingling Road is among the colorful woods. Turn all the way to the north city wall and accompany Qianhu, and Biwa Lake continues to move forward.

In the late autumn of December, Nanjing City is colorful, with various greens and yellows intertwined. Coupled with the grandeur and thickness of the blue-gray city walls, people pay respect.

In the past, you can truly enter the city after passing through the city gate. The west side of the city wall is the original understanding of the city. The Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway connecting line has become the east-west main road, Zhongshan East Road, running through the city.

The road signs on the city wall show that walking north is the ruins of Qianhu Section, and to the south is Biaoying Gate.

Above the three gates of the city wall is a wide area, but the city walls extending on both sides are not so spacious.

Follow the city wall north.

Overlooking under the city wall. The walls are ancient and heavy.

At your feet is Mingling Road, which runs along with the city wall, heading north into Mingxiaoling Mausoleum. However, this section of the city wall is already blocked and you cannot walk on the city wall. So he turned back on the city wall and walked south.

Walking south and passing the city gate, you will find Crescent Lake to the east of the city wall. As a relic of the ancient moat, Yueya Lake borrows water from Zhongshan Mountain in the north, receives water from Tongzicang Gully and Weiqiaogou in the east, Qiqiaoweng Pumping Station in the south, and flows water from Yunliang River into the lake, and passes through copper core pipe gate in the west to replenish water from the Mingyu River, echoing the northwest moat, it is an important part of the historical relics of Nanjing City Wall.

Looking straight from the high city wall, you can see the lakes and mountains.

The leaves in late autumn are golden, reflecting the blue lake, and the boat is still and peaceful in the beautiful artistic conception.

Yellow-green leaves and blue lake surface, the pure appearance shines into your eyes.

Expand the lens range to see the trees by the lake, houses with white walls and red tiles in the distance, and a picture of the city's forest landscape.

There are platforms, curved bridges and water-facing pavilions and corridors built on the water.

Small boats sway on the lake

Slender ecological islands in the center of the lake dot the Yueya Lake

The trend of this section of the city wall is straight. Looking back at the road we came from, the imposing city wall seems to touch the continuous Zhongshan Mountain in the distance.

the underfooting road of the

continue South

Scenery outside the wall

A park is built around Yueya Lake. There are ancient square gods sculptures of Qinglong, Rosefinch, Xuanwu, and White Tiger in all directions in the park, implying good luck. Here is a rosefinch spreading its wings, with a vivid and lifelike shape.

Accompanied by the slender lake of the city wall, it turns east to Houbiao Camp, and the lake becomes a crescent shape.

Less than a kilometer south from the Zhongshanmen City Wall, you will reach another city gate-Biaoying Gate. This location is also the bend of Yueya Lake.

Above the Biaoying Gate is also an open city wall space

Standing above the gate and watching Cheshui Road, Houbiaoying Road, extends all the way eastward. There are beautiful street trees on both sides, of a variety, drawing beautiful colors in rows. The rippling lake brings the tenderness of water to the reinforced concrete city.

On the west side of the city gate, Houbiaoying Road continues west

He stretched his upper body out of the city wall as much as possible, and saw the tall city wall accompanied by rich vegetation.

Get off the city wall and come to Houbiaoying Road to see the city gate. This gate did not exist before. In 2009, in order to connect the broken gap in the Ming City Wall, this three-hole gate was newly built, and the wall nearly 100 meters south was connected with the north wall, named it "Biaoying Gate".

Walking into the city gate and looking up, the city gate under the sun is majestic, showing the weight of the city.

To be continued, I will set foot on the Nanjing City Wall one by one.