MING CITY WALLS

Surrounded by a few segments of the famous ramparts for having been the longest in the world, the city of Nanjing still retains traces of its golden age. 200 000 workers worked for the construction of these walls for more than 1366 years, erected between 1386 and. Five provinces provided the materials, and the richest families financèrent its construction. We still admire, some of the last fortified doors piercing the 12 m high walls, with a thickness of 14 m at the base and 7 m at the top.

Indeed, the quality of the materials used (granite for foundations, bricks for the body, joints joints and glutinous rice) allowed two thirds of the ramparts to rise again today. The bricks, with an average weight of 15 kg, were subjected to draconian control: The source, the date of manufacture, the name of the foreman and the craftsman. There are 9 of the 24 original doors. Zhonghua Gate (中华门) remains the best preserved.