Kilns hundreds of miles away supplied the bricks, and only bricks of the highest quality were accepted. These stenciled inscriptions, a kind of quality seal, reveal the kiln where the bricks were fired, the supervisor who was in charge, and even the individual craftsperson. Part of the fun of hiking along Nanjing’s city wall is keeping an eye out for bricks carved with Chinese characters. Where once armed sentries would have patrolled Nanjing’s city wall, these days it’s the domain of locals taking exercise, groups of young urban hikers, tourists snapping photographs, and strolling couples enjoying the splendid views that contrast the cityscape of Nanjing, crowed by the 1,500-foot-tall Zifeng Tower, with the undulating, weather-worn battlements evoking the achievements of a distant age. Parts of the wall are 69 feet high (almost five double-decker buses stacked on top of each other), and wide enough for two of those buses to pass each other on top of the battlements.Ĭulture, Craft and Beauty – A Week in Jiangsu Provinceīricks carved with Chinese characters reveal the kiln where the bricks were fired, the supervisor who was in charge, and even the individual craftsperson © Kevin Chen Images / Shutterstock A hiking highlight in China An army of (by some estimates) 1 million skilled and unskilled workers took 28 years to complete it, laying hundreds of millions of bricks fused together with a highly effective mortar made from lime and glutinous rice. It’s a testament to the high quality of construction that so much of Nanjing’s wall has endured time and progress. ![]() And with around 16 miles of it surviving today, It is the longest existing masonry wall in China and even in the world. ![]() With an outer wall more than 37 miles in length, it was among the longest city walls ever built. ![]() A magnificent palace was built, and a new, higher city wall was constructed. With Nanjing as his capital, work began in earnest. The first emperor of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (known as the Hongwu emperor), defeated the Mongols and founded a new era for China in 1368 AD. An army of (by some estimates) 1 million skilled and unskilled workers took 28 years to complete Nanjing's city wall © gyn9037 / Shutterstock Visiting the monumental wall
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