This is a magnificent feat of engineering, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The bricks are spectacular and the entire 9 mile perimeter of the walls is walkable and in very decent shape. The walls were built but never breached--maybe because they were so intimidating that no one ever tried, or because they were completely unnecessary. I spent some time learning about modern China before my trip, and I read a quick overview of world history a few years back, but the city by city defense of China is not in my knowledge base.
What I will say is this--these are gorgeous. There are four city gates that aptly names after the direction that they face (east, west, north and south--nothing fancy here)--I walked between the South and East gate and back and my spouse bicycled around the entire perimeter. There are bike rentals at every gate, and the popular option the day we were there were the tandem bicycles--they allowed for independent pedaling, so one can just ride while the other madly pedals. Perfect for the mismatched bicyclist couples.
Inside the city walls lie many older buildings, some in need of repair and others in good shape. Immediately outside the walls modern Xi'an rises high into the sky--with a skyline that is fuzzy with smog and with buildings that contrast sharply with the pagodas of the wall. I highly recommend this walk (despite the air quality--I was fine as a walker--my husband had some chest pain ), which has all sorts of shops and many public restrooms as a way to enjoy Xi'an old and new.
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