--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies
Info
FedEx
China Post
China Air Express
Hospitals in China
Chinese Embassies
Foreign Embassies
Golfing China
China
Construction Bank
People's
Bank of China
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Travel Agencies
China Travel Service
China International Travel Service
Beijing Youth Travel Service
Links
China Tours
China National Tourism Administration

Cement Rejected in Ancient Wall Renovations
The renovation project for the Ming Dynasty’s (1368-1644) City Wall in Beijing has entered its concluding stages, with the final touches being applied. The Ming Dynasty City Wall Ruins Park is expected to open to the public before October 1. Re-construction workers have been using gray plaster to lay bricks, instead of cement which would normally be used in such situations.

According to the technician in charge of the project, “The cultural relics department decided not to use cement for restoration of the Ming Dynasty’s City Wall, out of consideration for the original aesthetics of the structure.”

“People may harbor doubts over whether such plaster will be strong enough to withstand the tough climatic conditions of the region, especially when compared with robustness of cement. After all, we are talking about an ancient technology,” the technician said, pointing to the ruins’ five storey high walls. “However, the walls have stood here for over 600 years without collapsing. We believe this provides enough proof for the plaster’s durability.”

It is reported that the ancient city walls of Beijing were initially built during the Ming Dynasty and used an adhesive made from a combination of lime and plaster to hold huge bricks together.

Before the renovation project of these city walls, technicians made scientific appraisals of this “ancient cement” to ensure that repairs to ancient walls would be robust enough while still retaining their original characteristics.

The Ming Dynasty City Wall Ruins Park has been built alongside one kilometer of ruins from Beijing’s ancient city wall and covers some 13 hectares. Beijing was once surrounded by four rings of city walls; the Forbidden City Wall, the Imperial City Wall, the Inner City Wall, and finally the Outer City Wall.

The Ruins Park project is part of an initiative to protect historical relics in the downtown Beijing area. The project has cost some US$102 million to build, a large portion of which has been used to compensate over 1,800 households in the area for temporary relocation.

(china.org.cn by Wang Qian, September 26, 2002)

The Three Front Gates of the Former City Walls
The City Walls and Gates
New City Wall Park to Open Soon
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688