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Beijing city fortifications
The Beijing city fortifications were a system of walls with towers and gates constructed in the city of Beijing, China in the early 1400s and mostly demolished in the 1950s and 1960s. The entire perimeter of the Inner and Outer city walls stretched for approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi).
Beijing was the capital of China for the majority of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, as well as a secondary capital of the Liao and Jin dynasties. As such, the city required an extensive fortification system around the Forbidden City, the Imperial City, the Inner City, and the Outer City. Fortifications included gate towers, gates, archways, watchtowers, barbicans, barbican towers, barbican gates, barbican archways, sluice gates, sluice gate towers, enemy sighting towers, corner guard towers, and a moat system. It had the most extensive defense system in Imperial China.[citation needed]
After the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911, Beijing's fortifications were gradually dismantled. The Forbidden City has remained largely intact and has become the Palace Museum. Most of the Inner City fortifications were demolished 1965 for the construction of the 2nd Ring Road and Line 2 of the Beijing Subway. Some fortifications remain intact, including Tiananmen, the gate tower and watchtower at Zhengyangmen, the watchtower at Deshengmen, the southeastern corner guard tower, and a 1.5-kilometre (0.93 mi)-long section of the Inner city wall near Chongwenmen, just south of the Beijing railway station. The latter two components now form the Beijing Ming City Wall Ruins Park. Almost all of the walls of the Outer City and all of its gates were demolished during the 1950s. Yongdingmen was completely reconstructed in 2004.
The city of Dadu, the forerunner of Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties, was built in 1264 by the Yuan dynasty. Dadu had 11 city gates. The eastern, southern, and western sides had three gates per side, and the northern wall had two gates. The three eastern gates, from north to south, were called Guangximen (光熙门), Chongrenmen (崇仁门), and Qihuamen (齐化门). The three western gates, from north to south, were called Suqingmen (肃清门), Heyimen (和义门), and Pingzemen (平则门). The three southern gates, from west to east, were called Shunchengmen (顺承门), Lizhengmen (丽正门), and Wenmingmen (文明门). The two northern gates, from west to east, were called Jiandemen (健德门) and Anzhenmen (安贞门).
In August 1368 General Xu Da of the Ming dynasty captured the city from the last Yuan emperor, Emperor Shun. Xu Da decided that Dadu's fortification system was too large to defend during a siege, so he ordered the city's northern walls rebuilt 2.8 kilometres (1.7 miles) to the south of the original location. This construction pre-empted the planned northern expansion of the city. The new wall was constructed with an extra layer of bricks, further strengthening the city's defenses.
The original northern walls were abandoned after 1372, but were still used as a secondary defense during the Ming dynasty. During the rebellion of An Da, there were some Ming troops stationed at those gates. Only a small part of the northern and western sections of the Dadu city walls remain, as well as parts of the moat system in those areas. The southern half of the rammed earth wall of the barbican at Suqingmen is also still visible today.
In 1370, the Hongwu Emperor granted his fourth son, Zhu Di (later Yongle Emperor) the title 'King of the Yan dependency', whose capital was at Beiping (present-day Beijing). In 1379, the new palace was completed, and Zhu Di moved in the subsequent year.
In 1403, Zhu Di changed the name of the city from Beiping ("northern peace") to Beijing ("northern capital"). In 1406, he began planning a move of his capital from Nanjing to Beijing. At that time, Beijing was just the capital of the dependency of the kingdom of Yan; therefore it did not have very extensive fortifications. Extensive expansion and reconstruction work would be needed to meet the defence requirements of the new capital for it to withstand the sporadic Mongol incursions from the north. This marked the beginning of the construction of the Ming sections of Beijing's fortifications.
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Beijing city fortifications AI simulator
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Beijing city fortifications
The Beijing city fortifications were a system of walls with towers and gates constructed in the city of Beijing, China in the early 1400s and mostly demolished in the 1950s and 1960s. The entire perimeter of the Inner and Outer city walls stretched for approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi).
Beijing was the capital of China for the majority of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, as well as a secondary capital of the Liao and Jin dynasties. As such, the city required an extensive fortification system around the Forbidden City, the Imperial City, the Inner City, and the Outer City. Fortifications included gate towers, gates, archways, watchtowers, barbicans, barbican towers, barbican gates, barbican archways, sluice gates, sluice gate towers, enemy sighting towers, corner guard towers, and a moat system. It had the most extensive defense system in Imperial China.[citation needed]
After the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911, Beijing's fortifications were gradually dismantled. The Forbidden City has remained largely intact and has become the Palace Museum. Most of the Inner City fortifications were demolished 1965 for the construction of the 2nd Ring Road and Line 2 of the Beijing Subway. Some fortifications remain intact, including Tiananmen, the gate tower and watchtower at Zhengyangmen, the watchtower at Deshengmen, the southeastern corner guard tower, and a 1.5-kilometre (0.93 mi)-long section of the Inner city wall near Chongwenmen, just south of the Beijing railway station. The latter two components now form the Beijing Ming City Wall Ruins Park. Almost all of the walls of the Outer City and all of its gates were demolished during the 1950s. Yongdingmen was completely reconstructed in 2004.
The city of Dadu, the forerunner of Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties, was built in 1264 by the Yuan dynasty. Dadu had 11 city gates. The eastern, southern, and western sides had three gates per side, and the northern wall had two gates. The three eastern gates, from north to south, were called Guangximen (光熙门), Chongrenmen (崇仁门), and Qihuamen (齐化门). The three western gates, from north to south, were called Suqingmen (肃清门), Heyimen (和义门), and Pingzemen (平则门). The three southern gates, from west to east, were called Shunchengmen (顺承门), Lizhengmen (丽正门), and Wenmingmen (文明门). The two northern gates, from west to east, were called Jiandemen (健德门) and Anzhenmen (安贞门).
In August 1368 General Xu Da of the Ming dynasty captured the city from the last Yuan emperor, Emperor Shun. Xu Da decided that Dadu's fortification system was too large to defend during a siege, so he ordered the city's northern walls rebuilt 2.8 kilometres (1.7 miles) to the south of the original location. This construction pre-empted the planned northern expansion of the city. The new wall was constructed with an extra layer of bricks, further strengthening the city's defenses.
The original northern walls were abandoned after 1372, but were still used as a secondary defense during the Ming dynasty. During the rebellion of An Da, there were some Ming troops stationed at those gates. Only a small part of the northern and western sections of the Dadu city walls remain, as well as parts of the moat system in those areas. The southern half of the rammed earth wall of the barbican at Suqingmen is also still visible today.
In 1370, the Hongwu Emperor granted his fourth son, Zhu Di (later Yongle Emperor) the title 'King of the Yan dependency', whose capital was at Beiping (present-day Beijing). In 1379, the new palace was completed, and Zhu Di moved in the subsequent year.
In 1403, Zhu Di changed the name of the city from Beiping ("northern peace") to Beijing ("northern capital"). In 1406, he began planning a move of his capital from Nanjing to Beijing. At that time, Beijing was just the capital of the dependency of the kingdom of Yan; therefore it did not have very extensive fortifications. Extensive expansion and reconstruction work would be needed to meet the defence requirements of the new capital for it to withstand the sporadic Mongol incursions from the north. This marked the beginning of the construction of the Ming sections of Beijing's fortifications.