Nanjing City Wall

The great Ming-dynasty fortification of Nanjing, begun in the fourteenth century when the city served as imperial capital and counted among the longest surviving city walls in the world. Built of large stone blocks and bricks stamped with their makers' names for quality control, long stretches still ring the historic center, punctuated by massive gates. The imposing Zhonghua Gate forms an elaborate fortress of nested courtyards. Visitors walk atop the broad ramparts, study the inscribed bricks and climb the towers for views over the old moat.