The structure of the City Wall of Xi’an
There is a rampart every 120 meters and there are altogether 98 ramparts on the wall. The ramparts are towers that extend out from the main wall, the top of the rampart being at the same level as the top of the wall. The ramparts were built to make it easy and safe for the soldiers to see and fight with the enemies and the distance between two ramparts is just within the range of arrow shot from either side.
On the top of each rampart, there is a sentry building. As the only way to go into and out of the town, the four gates (the east, west, south and north gates) of the city wall were important points that the feudal rulers racked their brains to try to defend. Each gate of the city wall in Xi’an consists of three gate towers: Zhenglou (the main tower), Jianlou (the arrow tower) and Diaolou. Diaolou stands away from the wall and is the gate tower used to lift and lower drawbridge. Jianlou tower is in the center of the others. There are square windows to shoot arrows from in its front and the two outer sides. Zhenglou tower is the inner one and the main entrance to the city.
Jianlou and Zhenglou are connected by tunnels, called Wengcheng in which soldiers could be stationed. From the Wengcheng there are also horse passages leading to the top of the wall. There are gradually ascending steps made for war horses. There are all together 11 horse passages around the city.
A watchtower is located on each of the four corners of the wall. The southwestern one is round, probably after the model of the imperial city wall of the Tang Dynasty, while the other three are square-shaped. On top of the watchtowers there is a corner rampart, higher and larger than the ordinary one. We can know that corners of the city wall in war times are of great importance.
Along the outer crest of the city wall, there was constructed crenellations or battlements, 5,984 of them. Under each crenel there is a square hole, from which arrows wee shot and watch was kept. The lower, inner walls are called parapets. They were used on the inside of the wall to prevent soldiers from falling off the wall when traveling back and forth on top of the wall.
More
Main gates of Xi’an City Wall- reflection of the history of Xi’an
Zhu Yuanzhang- from a peasant to an emperor
Long History of Chinese City Walls