Nine-Dragon Wall, Datong 大同九龙壁Dàtóng Jiǔlóngbì

About Nine-Dragon Wall, Datong

A glazed-tile screen wall decorated with nine dragons, built between 1392 and 1396 in front of the palace of Zhu Gui, the Prince of Dai and thirteenth son of the first Ming emperor. It is about 45 metres long, 8 metres high and 2 metres thick, and Chinese sources describe it as the oldest and largest surviving nine-dragon wall in the country. The dragons have four claws rather than the five reserved for the emperor, and the palace behind the wall was destroyed in the wars at the end of the Ming.

How to get to Nine-Dragon Wall, Datong

On Heyang Street in Datong's old walled city, in the centre of the city.

Nearby

• Datong Ancient City 大同古城 under 10 km
  Rebuilt Ming ramparts around genuine Liao–Jin temple halls and a glazed dragon screen
• Yungang Grottoes 云冈石窟 20 km
  Giant Buddhas carved into a sandstone cliff some 1,500 years ago
• Hanging Temple 悬空寺 60 km
  A wooden temple pinned to a sheer cliff, seemingly propped up on stilts
• Yingxian Wooden Pagoda 应县木塔 60 km
  A Liao-dynasty timber pagoda of 1056, five storeys outside and nine within

Also within 20 km: Guandi Temple, Datong 大同关帝庙 (under 10 km), Datong Drum Tower 大同鼓楼 (under 10 km), Shanhua Temple 善化寺 (under 10 km), Huayan Temple, Datong 华严寺 (under 10 km), Xingguo Temple, Pingcheng 平城兴国寺 (under 10 km), Pingcheng Site (Northern Wei capital) 平城遗址 (under 10 km).

On the map

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Learn more

• Wikipedia (Chinese)