Nine Dragon Wall
Location
No. 18, Dadong Street, Datong City, Shanxi Province
Reasons to visit
The Datong Nine Dragon Wall, which is well-known at home and abroad, is one of the three existing famous Nine Dragon Walls in my country. It is the one with an earlier construction date, larger scale, and rich artistic charm. (The other two are in Beijing, one is in Beijing Beihai Park, and the other is in front of the Huangji Gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Opening Hours
The Datong Nine Dragon Wall, which is well-known at home and abroad, is one of the three existing famous Nine Dragon Walls in my country. It is the one with an earlier construction date, larger scale, and rich artistic charm. (The other two are in Beijing, one is in Beijing Beihai Park, and the other is in front of the Huangji Gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing. They were both built in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The larger Nine Dragon Wall is 350 to 400 years later.) This Nine Dragon Wall was originally built in the Ming Dynasty. The building in the residence of the first king Zhu Gui is the screen wall in front of the Duanli Gate of the Prince's Palace. Zhu Gui was the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang. He was born on the 18th day of the seventh lunar month in the seventh year of Hongwu (AD 1374) ("Datong County Chronicle"). He and Shu King Zhu Chun were both born to Concubine Guo Hui. The concubine Dai is the daughter of King Xu Da of Zhongshan and the sister of Queen Ren Xiaowen (Empress Zhu Di). Although the Ming Dynasty stipulated that vassal kings were not allowed to interfere in local politics, due to the above-mentioned special relationship and his strength, he was actually the little emperor of Datong. The Zhu Gui family has experienced many ups and downs since the Ming Dynasty, but it has always been prominent and enduring. According to the "History of Ming Dynasty Zhu Gui Biography", from the time of King Zhu Gui to the time of the fourth king of the fifth generation, "three out of twenty people were granted the title of county." In the early Ming Dynasty, in order to strengthen centralized rule and resist the invasion of Mongolia in the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang assigned 25 princes to various parts of the country as of the 24th year of Hongwu (AD 1391) to supervise the military and military affairs of local officials. Politics, finance and literature. Zhu Gui was granted the title of King of Yu in the eleventh year of Hongwu (AD 1379). In the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu (AD 1391), he was renamed King of Dai on April 13th of the lunar calendar and became one of the nine kings of Sai; the following year In October, he was vassalized in Datong. The Daiwang Mansion was built for Zhu Gui. According to "Datong Fu Zhi": "The old school was in the east of Fu Zhidong... In the eighth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1376 AD), it was built as a Fu School. In the 29th year of the Ming Dynasty (1396 AD), the Fu School was used as the vassal government. Second, Yunzhongyi was renamed Fuxue, which is now Jinxue. In this case, Daiwangfu was renovated and expanded on the basis of the original Fuxue. As a screen wall in front of the palace, the Nine Dragon Wall should also have been built at this time. In 1649, after Datong's general Jiang (Wang Xiang) was defeated in the rebellion against the Qing Dynasty, the once-prominent and powerful Prince Dai's Mansion was burned to the ground and reduced to ashes in the Qing army's crazy "destroying the city" and "beheading the city." In the land of rubble, the Nine Dragon Wall, the screen wall in front of the palace, escaped disaster and was fortunate enough to be preserved and has become a precious historical relic today. The Datong Nine Dragon Wall is a single-sided colorful glazed screen wall facing south and facing north. It is 45.50 meters long, 8 meters high and 2.09 meters thick. It is higher than ordinary houses and looks very majestic. Compared with the Beihai Nine Dragon Wall in Beijing (25.5 meters long, 4.9 meters high, and 1. 42 meters) is nearly three times taller. The architectural structure of this wall is all made of yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white and other colored glazed components. The wall consists of three parts: the bottom is the Xumizuo, the middle is the wall body, and the upper part is the top of the wall. On the east and west ends are the patterns of the rising sun and the bright moon respectively, and are lined with river cliffs, sea water, and flowing cloud patterns. The waist of the Xumizuo is inlaid with two layers of glazed animals: the first layer is unicorn, lion, tiger, deer, pegasus, etc., and the second layer is small dragon. These glazed beasts have different postures and are lifelike. The Xumizuo is supported by a nine-dragon glazed wall. The proportions are just right, giving people a sense of stability and strength. There are sixty-two groups of glazed brackets with imitation wood structure on the wall, supporting the top of the glazed tile wall. The top of the wall has a single eaves and five ridges. On both sides of the main ridge are high-relief sculptures of multi-petaled flowers and swimming dragons. The top of the ridge has all kinds of beasts, ridge beasts and dragon beasts, and both ends are delicately carved dragon kisses. The entire wall is made of blue-green turbulent waves at the lower part, and blue clouds and yellow flowing clouds at the upper part. The nine dragons are separated and connected by clouds, flowing clouds, waves and cliffs. The wall, especially the bodies of the nine dragons, are all made in high relief, making each dragon stand out on the wall one by one, greatly enhancing the three-dimensional effect. Judging from the layout and shape of the nine dragons, the one in the center is a sitting dragon, which is yellow. In the Ming Dynasty, yellow was the main color and was reserved exclusively for emperors. This dragon is facing the central axis of the palace, with its head raised and forward, its eyes bright and clear, staring at the Duanli Gate of the Daiwang Palace. The dragon's body curls upwards, and its tail extends to the rear, as if it is sitting upright and watching. The pair of dragons on both sides of the central dragon are two flying dragons, light yellow in color, with their heads facing east and their tails extending towards the central dragon. The expressions of this group of dragons are free and easy, and they are very contented. The second pair of dragons is medium yellow, with their heads and tails facing west. The shape is roughly the same as the opposite dragons on both sides of the central dragon, forming a basically symmetrical pattern. The third pair of dragons is purple. These are two flying dragons. Their shapes are very different from the former ones. Their expressions are ferocious and furious, and they have the potential to overthrow the sea. The fourth pair of dragons (dragons at both ends) are yellow-green in color, full of energy and majesty. There is a wall built in front of the wall that is 34.9 meters long, 4.38 meters wide and about 0.00 meters deep. The 8-meter reflecting pool is surrounded by stone pillars and intersected by a bridge, which is rare in China. Whenever a breeze blows, the clear water in the pond ripples. At this moment, looking at the nine giant dragons reflected in the water, they really look like they are rolling in the blue sea and sky. They are even more majestic and majestic. Regarding the construction of this reflecting pool, there is still a legend circulating in Datong: One day after the Nine Dragon Wall was completed, King Dai stood on the gate tower of Duanli Gate and held the railing to admire it. Suddenly there was a thunderstorm, and two thunderbolts flew towards the Nine Dragon Wall. A large pit appeared in front of the Dragon Wall, and two deep springs were exposed in Jinbocang Lane not far behind the Dragon Wall. Two giant dragons, one yellow and one black, rise up from the clear spring water. They raise their heads and spray clear water into the large pit in front of the dragon wall. Looking from a distance, there seem to be nine dragons flying and playing in the pit, which is wonderful. The king then ordered that the water pit be built into a reflecting pool and the two springs into two wells, one with sweet water and one with bitter water. Since then, the reflecting pool has become an integral part of the Nine Dragon Wall.
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