Nanjing citizens walk on the Nanjing City Wall, Dec. 3, 2017. [Photo/VCG]
During this year’s “two sessions”, Nanjing municipal mayor Lan Shaomin proposed to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage to help the ancient city walls in Nanjing to apply for the UNESCO's world cultural heritage list in 2020.
The 650-year-old Nanjing City Wall is running toward that target together with the city walls from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1636-1912) dynasties in Xi’an of Shaanxi province and Jingzhou of Hubei province.
The Ming city walls in Nanjing date back to 1366 with the current walls stretching more than 25.091 kilometers, the best preserved, longest and largest ancient city walls in the world and the most influential cultural symbol of Nanjing.
As early as in 2006, Nanjing along with three other cities enlisted the city walls from the Ming and Qing dynasties onto China’s world cultural heritage tentative list. In 2014, Nanjing was chosen by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage to be the leading city in the joint UNESCO application. And in March 2016, it filed an official application document with the administration.
The Nanjing City Wall Museum, as a window to showcase the relics from the Ming and Qing dynasties, will commence construction in May at an investment of 280 million yuan ($44.2 million). It will be the largest city wall-themed museum in China after completion.
The Nanjing city walls, as cultural heritage, are more and more open to the people and have become a popular place for relaxation and fitness. From 2015, hanging up spring couplets on the gates of the ancient city walls has become a festive custom during the Spring Festival, China’s Lunar New Year. In another tradition, people believe climbing the wall on Jan. 16 in lunar calendar can ward off illness and bring peace.
