City wall of Kaifeng preserved today

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People in Kaifeng, Henan Province, often regard the city wall as the backbone of the city.
Historical documents indicate that the city wall in Kaifeng was originally constructed in the Tang Dynasty and went through several renovations after being damaged. Existing city walls were built during the reign of Daoguang Emperor in the Qing Dynasty on the foundation of the city wall in the previous Ming Dynasty. In the 21st year of the Daoguang’s reign, the city walls were severely damaged due to erosion caused by eight months of frequent flooding. After the floodwaters subsided, the reconstruction of the city wall began and it took almost twenty months to finish.

170 years since then, the preserved city wall in Kaifeng still showcases the architectural style and scale of the Yuan and Ming dynasties. It has a length of 14.4 km and is of a rectangle shape stretching longer north to south. The city wall in Kaifeng is China’s second biggest city wall, second only to the city wall in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. 

The city wall in Kaifeng looks much lower than that of Nanjing and Xi’an. This is because it has been inundated by floods of the Yellow River many times throughout history and the base sank beneath the existing ground. Related departments in the Kaifeng government once dug a pit in one section of the city wall and found that there was more than 10 meters of city wall underground.

The riverbed of the Yellow River in Kaifeng can reach several meters, or even more than 20 meters above the ground. Documents since the North Song Dynasty have recorded that the Kaifeng section of the Yellow River carried heavy silt. In the Qing Dynasty, it was recorded that 7 percent of one unit of water was silt. Once the floods burst beyond the riverbed, the fast-flowing river carrying heavy silt caused devastation to surrounding areas. This is why the Yellow River has always been the focus of flood prevention work in Kaifeng.

Throughout recorded history, the Yellow River at the Kaifeng section has flooded about 370 times. Together with other dikes, the city wall was part of the flood barriers in Kaifeng and the city wall prevented the city from being trapped by floods on over 10 occasions.

As with other city walls, the city wall in Kaifeng also had military defensive functions. The city wall included the wall, crenel, turret, riding track, drawbridge, barbican, gate tower, rampart and other facilities, forming an integrated military defensive system.

Kaifeng is working with Nanjing, Xi’an and other cities that have ancient city walls to declare them part of the world’s cultural heritage. The city wall no longer keeps the function of protecting the city, instead, it has become a valuable historical tourist attraction. Standing on the wall, one can see the old city on one side and the modern city on the other side. A meeting point of history and the modern age, the city wall witnessed changes taking place in Kaifeng.