Qufu city, the birthplace of Confucius, a great thinker and educator in the Chinese history, has started a major construction project to restore a city wall from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The project, which involved an investment of 30 million yuan (some U.S.$ 3.6 million), aimed to restore the 5,300-meter long wall and a tower on it, said Kong Xiangjin, director of the city's tourism administration.

The original wall, demolished in the late 1970s to make way for an urbanization project, was nine meters tall and encircled 1.41 square kilometers of land.

Upon completion of the project, tourists would get a bird's-eye view of major attractions in the city atop of centuries-old wall, including the Confucius Temple, where the sage gave lectures, Confucius Mansion, where Confucius' family lived and Confucius Forest, where they rest in peace.

"The project will therefore further highlight the city as a tourist attraction," said Kong.

Qufu city used to have several inner cities, and the city wall currently under renovation, the first ever built of bricks in Qufu, was erected in 1513 to safeguard the Confucius Temple.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2004)