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Nanjing City Wall

One of the largest surviving ancient city walls in the world, built during the early Ming dynasty to protect Nanjing.

Written by 祝一馨

南京明城墙，宛如一条沉睡千年的巨龙，是中国现存规模最大，保存最完整的明代古城墙。它始建于1366年，历时28年方才竣工。在漫长的岁月里，28万民工齐心合力，用3.5亿块墙砖铸就了这一伟大的奇迹。

漫步在城墙上，我印象最深的当属每块墙砖上的文字。它们如同一个个历史的使者，清晰地标注着砖的“出生地”、工匠和官员的名字。这源于明朝的“物勒工名”制度，就像一张严密的责任网，倘若哪块砖出了问题，便能直接追查到责任人。从这小小的细节中，我真切地感受到了古人的智慧。

如此珍贵的历史不该被遗忘。我觉得可以在景点开发数字导览，游客只需要用手机扫描二维码，就能立刻开启一场穿越时空的历史之旅，了解地名背后那一段段动人的故事，让更多人触摸历史、传承历史，让明城墙的智慧之光永远闪耀。

The Nanjing City Wall, like a dragon that has slumbered for a thousand years, is the largest and best-preserved Ming dynasty city wall still standing in China. Construction began in 1366 and took 28 years to complete. Over the long decades, 280,000 laborers worked together to forge this great wonder out of 350 million bricks.

Walking along the wall, what impressed me most were the inscriptions on each brick. They are like messengers of history, clearly recording the brick’s “birthplace,” the names of craftsmen, and the officials in charge. This reflects the Ming dynasty’s “accountability system,” like a strict network of responsibility: if a brick was found defective, the maker could be directly traced. From this small detail, I could truly sense the wisdom of the ancients.

Such precious history should never be forgotten. I believe a digital guide could be developed for the site, allowing visitors to scan QR codes with their phones to instantly embark on a journey through time, uncovering the moving stories behind the place names. This way, more people can touch and inherit history, letting the light of wisdom from the Nanjing City Wall shine forever.

Written by 张书颖

中国境内有许许多多的著名的文化遗址，故宫、长城、兵马俑……而离我最近的就要属南京明城墙了。

南京明城墙是世界上最长，规模最大，保存原真性最好的古代城垣，在历史上有着重大的意义，是中国古代军事防御设施、城垣建造技术集大成之作。此外，它还是全国重点文物保护单位，国家5A级景区。

这么重要的遗址更需要民众和游客的保护。作为一名学生，我们应该做到最基本的不破坏文物，认真学习遗址给我们带来的丰富知识，课余之际，还可以做一名小小讲解员，把知识传播给更多的人。

遗址是历史留下来的宝藏，需要我们认真探索和发现，更需要我们用心地守护。

China is home to many famous cultural heritage sites—the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army… Yet the one closest to me is the Nanjing City Wall.

The Nanjing City Wall is the longest, largest, and best-preserved ancient city wall in the world. It holds great historical significance as a masterpiece of China’s ancient military defense and city wall construction techniques. In addition, it is recognized as a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit and a national 5A tourist attraction.

Such an important site requires the protection of both citizens and visitors. As a student, I believe we must first uphold the most basic responsibility of not damaging cultural relics, while also learning from the rich knowledge these sites provide. In our spare time, we could even serve as little volunteer guides to share this knowledge with more people.

Heritage sites are treasures left behind by history. They call for our exploration and discovery, but even more, they demand our heartfelt protection.

Written by 俞悦

中国有众多名胜古迹，其中南京明城墙最令我印象深刻。

明朝时南京被定为都城，朱元璋为巩固统治、防御外敌，下令修筑城墙。历经约20年修筑，如今基本完好的明城墙静静矗立，诉说着往昔岁月。

明城墙的独特之处在于，它600年来屹立不倒。而且每一块砖都有“身份证”，上面记录着烧制信息；每块砖之间还使用了由石灰、桐油、糯米汁等制成的特殊粘合剂，这是它能长久保存的重要原因。

明城墙是中国文化的重要载体，我们应当保护它。不仅要定期对其进行维修，还要密切关注墙体的细微变化，用心守护好它，让它能长久承载南京的历史文化，向更多人传递古老的文明密码。

China is home to many famous historical sites, but the Nanjing City Wall has left the deepest impression on me.

During the Ming dynasty, when Nanjing was designated the capital, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the construction of the wall to consolidate his rule and defend against foreign invasions. Built over the course of about 20 years, the well-preserved wall still stands today, silently recounting the stories of the past.

What makes the Nanjing City Wall unique is its endurance for more than 600 years. Each brick bears an “ID card,” recording its production details; the bricks are joined with a special adhesive made from lime, tung oil, and glutinous rice paste, which has been key to its remarkable preservation.

The Nanjing City Wall is an important carrier of Chinese culture and deserves our protection. It should be regularly maintained, with close attention paid to subtle changes in its structure. With care, it can continue to bear Nanjing’s history and culture, passing on the ancient codes of civilization to many more people.