1、Ladies and gentlemen, today we are going to visit the City Wall of Xian.Xian, capital of the empires for over a thousand years, was one of the worlds great metropolises, rivaling and evensurpassing its contemporaries, Athens, Constantinople and even Rome.When you come to Xian, the first landmark you
2、 will encounter is the ancient city wall, which stretches round the old city. Xianwas originally a walled city, and even today the wall is considered a landmark dividing the city into the inner part and the outerpart.The city wall is massive-tall, long and thick. It is not only a well-preserved anci
3、ent Chinese monument but was once also /acomplex and well-organized system of defense for the city, just as the medieval towns fortified with a high wall and a deep moat.The present City Wall of Xian was mostly built in the Ming Dynasty. It is an extension of the old Tang Dynasty structure. Thecity
4、wall stands 12 meters high, 12-14 meters wide across the top, 15-18 meters thick at the bottom and 13.7 kilometers incircumference skmfrns.Every 120 meters apart, there is a rampart that extends out from the main wall. Local people called it Mamian in Chinese.The top of the rampart is at the same le
5、vel as the top of the wall. The ramparts were built to allow soldiers to see those enemieswhod try to climb the wall. The distance between every two ramparts is just within the range of arrow shot from either side. Thisallowed the soldiers to protect the city wall without exposing themselves to the
6、enemy. There are altogether 98 of them on thewall: each has a sentry building on top of it.1The weapons in ancient times were primitive.The gates of the city wall were the only way to go into and out of town.Therefore, these gates were important strategic points. Because of its strategic significanc
7、e, complicated gate structure wasbuilt within the wall.Xian City Wall includes four gates and they are respectively named as Changle(长乐门) in the east, Anding（安定门） inthe west, Yongning（永宁门） in the south and Anyuan（安远门）in the north. The South Gate, Yongning, is the most beautifullydecorated one and it
8、 is very close to the Bell Tower, center of the city. Important greeting ceremonies organized by the provincialgovernment are usually held in the South Gate Square.In Xian, each of the east, west, south and north gate consists of three gate towers. The main gate tower is called“Zhenglou”. Zhalou” is
9、 the gate tower with a suspension bridge, and Jianlou” is the arrow tower. Zhalou tower stands away fromthe wall. It is used to lift and lower the suspension bridge. Jianlou tower is in the center of the others. There are square windowsinthe front where soldiers can shoot arrows. The Zhenglou tower
10、is the inner one and is the main entrance to the city. Jianlou andZhenglou are connected by walls and the encircled area is called “Wongcheng” in which soldiers could be stationed. FromWongcheng, there are also sloping horse passages leading to the top of the wall. There are altogether 11 horse pass
11、agesaround the city.A watch tower is located on each of the four corners of the wall. The one at the southwestern corner is round, probably afterthe model of the imperial city wall of the Tang Dynasty, but the other three are square, higher and larger than the sentry buildingon the ramparts. This sh
12、ows the strategic importance of the corners of the city wall in war times.The City Wall of Xian was first built of earth, rammed layer upon layer. The base layer was made of earth, quicklimekwklam and glutinous lutns rice extract ekstrkt, tempered together. It made the wall extremely strong and firm
13、. Later,the wall was totally coated by the bricks. The moat measures 20 meters in width wd and 7 meters in depth with a defensewall 2 meters high on the inner bank. Over the moat, there used to be a huge suspension bridge which cut off the way in and outof the city, once lifted.By the local governme
14、nt, the city wall has taken on a new look nowadays after the repairs. A circular park has been builtbetween the high wall and the deep moat, all around the city. The thriving trees and flowers, and the buildings of classicalChinese architecture in the park, together with the city wall, make Xian all
15、 the more beautiful.Since 1993, Xian City Wall International Marathon has been holding every November. It attracts thousands of Marathon fansevery year.In 1997, former US President Clinton chose Xian as the first stop of his historic trip to China. He sang high praises aftervisiting the ancient city
16、 wall. The ancient Xian City Wall is a timeless display of the ability and wisdom of the people of ancientChina. It provides visitors with an invaluable insight into Chinese history, military developments and architecture.Ok, ladies and gentlemen, now please follow me to climb up the city wall together.2
