Home

Datong Nine Dragon Screen Wall

Summary

As one of three famous walls of this style in China (the other two are in Beihai Park in Beijing and in front of Taiji Gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing), Datong Nine-Dragon Wall is the oldest, largest and the most enchanting one among the three.

Overview

Built during the Ming Dynasty (1271-1368), this marvelous wall is 45.5 meters long, 8 meters high and 22 meters thick. Nine dragons, each playing with a pearl with the sun and moon aside, were carved in a very lifelike manner. Yellow, blue, purple and white are applied to the carvings to depict the writhing dragons, and make the wall very enchanting.

Among the nine dragons, one heading to the front with imposing appearance is held in awe by other dragons. The left space is filled with patterns of mountains, rivers and trees, which serve as a contrast to make the dragons stand out. The whole wall was built on a 2.09-meter sumeru throne (须弥座), on which carved 41 patterns of “two dragons playing with a pearl”.

In addition, on the waist of the sumeru throne, 75 pieces of vitreous brick constitute a grand relief with varieties of lively animals on it, such as cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, deer and rabbits. The wall reflects the superb carving skill of ancient China.

Besides, tourists can find many streets, gates, and places with imperial names in Datong, like “Huangchen Street (the Imperial City Street)”, “Zhengdian Street (The Main Hall Street)”, “Donghua Gate (East China Gate)” and so on. They are all ruins of imperial palaces in ancient China.

Travel Essentials

  • Ticket fare: 10 yuan per person
  • Opening time: 09: 00-17:00
  • Recommended visiting time: 30 minutes
  • Getting there: Travelers can take public bus No. 4 from Datong Railway Station to reach Nine Dragon Wall.

Related Links

  • One-Day Datong Classic Tour including Nine Dragon Screen, Yungang Grottoes and Huayan Temple
  • Datong Tour Packages
  • China's World Heritage Sites
  • China World Heritage Tours
Take No.4 bus in front of Datong Railway Station.

How to Get to there?

Tips & articles

2011-05-23
As the existing famous nine-dragon screen walls in China, the Datong Nine-Dragon Screen Wall is by far the oldest, biggest and most artistic. This 600-year-old glazed screen wall, 45.5 meters long, 8 meters high and 2.09 meters wide, was originally used for ...Read More
2011-05-23
The Nine-Dragon Screen is localted in the downtown of Datong. Nine Dragon Screen, or Jiulongbi, was built in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in front of the residence of Zhu Guidai, the thirteenth son of the first Ming Dynasty em peror, Zhu Yuanzhang. The ...Read More
2011-05-23
Datong Shanhua Temple (Shanhua si) is also called the South Temple (Nan si) because it lies in the southern section (Nan mian) of town, just within the confines of the old city walls. The temple is worthwhile visiting, part for its interesting history and ...Read More

forum discussion

Recent posts

by Kennis 2011-05-20
It may not be common knowledge among Western visitors that the number "nine" carried a special significance in old China. Ancient Chinese regarded odd numbers as masculine and even numbers as feminine. "Nine", the largest single digit number, was taken as representing the "ultimate masculine" and was, therefore, symbolic of the supreme sovereignty of the ...