Xi'an City Wall Park

Xi'an City Wall Park, built in 1982, borders the 13.7-kilometer-long (about 8.5-mile-long) Ming Dynasty City Wall. It was built for public benefit and consists of  three parts: the ancient city wall, moat and forest belt. It is a unique characteristic of the city and has an inimitable style and features. It fulfills the functions of recreation, fitness development, sightseeing, environment and cultural heritage protection. The park was built with popular support. There is no doubt that the construction of the park has made the city more characteristic. Presently it is one of the most important places for local people to walk about casually or for pleasure.

The layout of the moat and forest in the park are harmonious with the city wall. The clear water, lush trees and the ancient wall resemble a very beautiful painting. Dotted pavilions, sculptures and steles add much delight to the landscape as well. The width of the City Wall Park ranges from 30 to 200 meters (about 33-219 yards), which can be broadly divided into three concentric loops. The first loop is from the outer wall to the moat bank, and contains trees, lawns and body-building devices. The second refers to the moat, while the third loop is from the moat to sidewalk of the Ring Road. Apart from the flower beds and other ornamental plants, there are also many squares of all sizes.

Inside the Park

Singing Qinqiang in City Wall Park

The City Wall of Xi'an is the most complete ancient wall that has survived in China. It also represents one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. The park brings the old city wall to life. Parkways stretch to each city gate, allowing people  to conveniently enter from a number of directions. Outside the moat, the City Wall Park is divided into south, west, north and east sections, with each containing several individual gardens with different features and themes.

Playing the Erhu

Playing Tai Chi

In the south, there is Pine Garden, a place made up of pavilions, rivers, flowers and trees. It is the center where old people come to relax and take part in various activities. The West Garden in the west, covering an area of 10 hectares (25 acres), is a good mixture of the ancient buildings, green belt and recreational activities. Dream Lake Garden is the northern scenic area of the West Garden, and is recognized as a “gold necklace around the city wall”. It is renowned for the clear pool, Dream Lake. It also boasts six brilliant vistas, including a viewing platform, the inundated, Shuzhen Square, Centeral Square and the recreational areas. Ancient hitching posts for horses, poles representing the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac and sculptures of folk customs are also delightful features of the park.

Fan Dance

Sward Dance

Four major parks, Changle (eternal joy) Park, Yongning (eternal peace) Park, Anding (harmony peace) Park, and Anyuan (forever harmony) Park, are located at the four city gates of Xi'an. They are divided into thirteen sections with many types of equipment attracting local people, especially for morning and night exercise. The middle-aged dance while older people play shadow-box under the trees. In addition, some local senior citizens gather together to loudly sing Qin Opera (the local traditional opera in Shaanxi Province) to the music of the er'hu (a kind of local traditional musical instrument). There are many pavilions inside where people can have a good rest . This is where to find the city's authentic joy and fun.

There are many buses going through the four main gates of the City Wall: East Gate (also Changle Gate), South Gate (also Yongning Gate), West Gate (also Anding Gate) and North Gate (also Anyuan Gate). Then you can enter the park from anyone of these gates.

East Gate: Take bus No. 8, 22, 27, 29, 33... and get off at Dongmen (East Gate) Station.
South Gate: Take bus No. 6, 11, 16, 23, 26... and get off at Nanmen (South Gate) Station.
West Gate: Take bus No. 4, 7, 15, 23, 31... and get off at Ximen (West Gate) Station.
North Gate: Take bus No. 6, 9, 26, 28, 33... and get off at Beimen (North Gate) Station.

If you take a metro, Metro Line 2 can take you to Yongningmen (Yongning Gate) Station and Anyuanmen (Anyuan Gate) Station. Then you can walk to South Gate or North Gate.

From the Bell Tower, it is a 10 minutes' walk along the South Street to get to the South Gate.

Xi'an Bus / Metro Search

Admission Fee	Free
Opening Hours	Whole day
Recommended Time for a Visit	One hour

 Videos of the Local Activities at Xi'an City Wall Park:
Shaanxi Opera Performance at Xi'an City Wall Park
Locals Doing Morning Exercises
Vegetable Market under Xi'an City Wall