Chad Salazar - Qing Dynasty City Walls

Qing Dynasty City Walls

In Ancient China walls were consistently related to the prosperity of a society. Neolithic settlements in China  have been linked to the usage of walls and barriers. Even the “word for these enclosures, cheng, it was the same word they used for city.” “A city did not exist in China without a wall, and the presence of a wall meant that a city was inside.” (Twitchett, 1978, p. 3) The scroll of Qingming Shang tu illustrates the evolution of walls in China around 4 millenia after these neolithic enclosures were defined, during the Qing Dynasty which lasted from 1644 to 1911. During the earlier dynasties of ancient China walls existed for the purpose of order and safety. The construction of walls during the Qing dynasty certainly existed for the safety and protection of the common people in addition to providing barriers for common spaces and city gardens. 

Symmetry and geometric consistency were less important for the structure of walls during the Qing Dynasty, “Instead, the appearance of a group of architectural elements, their variable shapes and the decoration of the minute parts was stressed.” (Twitchett, 1978, p. 262) In section 8 of Qingming Shanghe Tu, the first wall exists and quite notably, a large and colorful structure appears on top of the wall. “In Ming and Qing times the defense structures for the inner cheng included Zhengyangmen Gate, its gate tower, an enceinte and an embrasured tower.” (Yun, 2012, p. 37)  The colorful red and green gate tower is depicted above the grey outer wall. The gate tower is painted with great attention to small decorative details which would have been prevalent during the Qing dynasty. The broad and towering presence of the grey outer walls exhibit the strength of the city as well as the peace of mind that civilians could attain with their mode of protection. 

The societal dynamics that existed within the city walls experienced changes during the Qing dynasty. Whereas early dynasties in China laid out a grid-like pattern which mapped out individual residence, “from the Sui onward, and through the periods of the Tang and Song, the layout evolved , becoming threefold and rather square.” (Yun, 2012, p. 43) The scroll gives us a sense of an even less grid-like structure that existed during the Qing Dynasty. Both walls (scroll sections: 8 & 12-13 ) extend vertically into the horizon. The scroll Qingming Shanghe Tu shows no evidence of the grid patterns that existed in previous dynasties; walls only exist inside the city as natural barriers for gardens and residential buildings as well as surrounding what appear to be religious areas.

In the later part of the scroll we see the emperor's palace on the inside of a much more beautifully crafted and designed wall than what exists at the entrance of the city. The purpose of this wall would be dividing the common people from the elite. Not only would these imperial walls exist for social status, but also an increased sense of protection.

 The wall bends and gives the sense that it was created with the landscape in mind, something that may not have been constructed in earlier Chinese dynasties. Similarly, the use of moats is not apparent in the scroll; during the Qing dynasty city structures began to develop around land and water pathways that already existed. The importance of this imperial wall can be deduced by its extraordinary beauty and detailed artistry, but also by the lack of access that appears to be granted. The scroll shows no human traffic near the entrance of the imperial gate and a barrier that exists in the waterway flowing through the city blocking any incoming or outgoing boats. The gate would have been purposeful only for the emperor themselves, to enter and exit an exquisite cluster of temples into the city. It is said that this entrance to the emperor's dwelling was “part of the ‘imperial way’ by use by the emperor only.” (Yun, 2012, p. 37) 

Bibliography

Twitchett, Denis Crispin. 1978. Chinese Architecture. Yale: Yale University Press.

Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. 1990. Chinese Imperial City Planning. University of Hawai’i Press.

Yun, Qiao. 2012. Walls and Towers: Systems of Defense in Ancient China. Library of Ancient Chinese Architecture.