The First City Walls

 

Between 1215 and 1368, northern China was under the reign of the Mongol Empire during the Yuan Dynasty (6). Beijing was established as the national capital for the first time in history. The city was then known as Dadu, Chinese for "Grand Capital" (2). It was at this period that the municiple layout began to resemble the city that it is today.

 

Emperor Kublai Khan, the third ruler at this Dynasty, intended for Dadu to be a showcase of his cosmopolitan empire (7). The city layout was constructed based on rules from the book Rites of Zhou. For example, the book noted that capital cities should have two walls, one to protect the Emperor and another to protect the people. Red earthen walls, which were 24 meters thick, connected 11 city gates that could be found in each cardinal direction were thus erected around periphery of Dadu. Three gates faced the eastern, southern, and western sides each, and two faced the north. Wall construction was primarily used for defence against potential attacks from non-Mongols (2).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An inner wall was also constructed to symbolize the hierarchical status of imperial power. Dadu was thus divided into the Grand Interior and Outer City. The imperial family resided in different Palaces in the Grand Interior City at the south centre of Dadu (9). The grand palaces were red-walled with yellow glistening clay-tiled roofs and intricate paintings on the cornices. In the residential areas of the city, Kublai ordered the streets to be constructed in a regular grid pattern, which resulted in the narrow alleyways (hutong) and courtyard houses (siheyuan) that were still characteristic of the city until this century. Narrow streets would join broad, straight boulevards that extended from each city gate, connecting all residents of Dadu (4).

 

The characteristic architecture and city layout were marvelled by Chinese writers and foreign travellers alike. During one of his visits to Dadu, Marco Polo documented the city as "standing truly unparalleled among the cities of the world" (2).

 

The layout of Dadu lasted for over a century, which was then modified in the Ming Dynasty...