Last updated 2026-10-07

Datong City Wall: The Rebuilt Ming Circuit

The wall around Datong's old city runs 7,270.7 metres and stands about 14 metres high, enclosing 2.63 square kilometres. Chinese Wikipedia traces fortifications on the site back to the Northern Wei, but the line you walk is the Ming wall, begun in 1372. It is also, almost entirely, a reconstruction finished in 2016. That is worth knowing before you go, and it does not stop the wall from being the best way to understand the old city's grid and to see Huayan Temple and the other old roofs from above.

The rebuilt south gate tower of the Datong city wall — The south gate of the Datong city wall. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Charlie fong, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Ming wall and its four gates

In 1372 the Ming general Xu Da enlarged the old Liao, Jin and Yuan walls into a near square. Chinese Wikipedia gives the sides as 1,872.7 metres on the south, 1,783 on the west, 1,843.6 on the north and 1,771.4 on the east. A moat ran about 40 metres outside, some 10 metres wide. There were four gates, Heyang to the east, Yongtai to the south, Qingyuan to the west and Wuding to the north. Datong was a frontier garrison against the Mongols, and the wall was built for war.

Siege, massacre and demolition

The worst episode came in 1649. The commander Jiang Xiang held Datong against the Qing, and the regent Dorgon besieged it for months without taking it, until one of Jiang's officers changed sides and opened the way. Dorgon ordered the population killed and the wall cut down by five Chinese feet. For a few years the prefecture's seat moved to Yanggao, and it only came back in 1652.

The wall survived as a damaged ring for three centuries. Around 1952 the north, east and west gates were pulled down and turned into gaps, the remaining barbicans and towers removed, and almost all the facing bricks stripped, which left a rammed-earth core. The last surviving gate passage, at the south, was demolished in 1981. That year the wall was listed as a city heritage site, and in June 2016 as a provincial one.

The reconstruction

In 2008 the city government under mayor Geng Yanbo launched a project to restore the historic city, and the wall was rebuilt around its earth core. On 18 November 2016 the circuit was closed and the moat reconnected. The gates, towers, barbicans and brick faces you see now date from those eight years.

The rebuilt Datong city wall and gate towers beside the moat and a garden walkway — The wall and moat. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by xiquinhosilva, CC BY 4.0.

Walking it

A full circuit is a little over seven kilometres, roughly two hours at an easy walking pace without stops. Many visitors walk one side and come down into the old city. From the wall you can see the grid the Ming laid out, the halls of Huayan Temple near the west gate, and the modern city spreading far beyond the moat.

Tickets and hours

The operator changed the rules from 11 May 2026. In the daytime, from 07:00 to 17:00, the whole wall is free. From 17:00 to 22:00 the north wall and the northern parts of the east and west walls stay free, and the rest becomes a lantern garden with a ticket of 29 yuan. The same notice closed parts of the south gate complex until mid-June 2026 for work on a show project. During the National Day week of 2026 a free projection show about the Yungang Grottoes ran on the western barbican each evening from 20:00 to 21:30. Rules and shows change often, so check the day's notice from Datong Gucheng Cultural Tourism.

Getting there

The wall surrounds the old city, so any of the four gates is a starting point. The gate complexes are the obvious places to go up, though sections close for events, as the south gate did in spring 2026. If you are staying in the old city you can walk to it; from Datong South station or the newer districts take a taxi to the south gate.

How long and when

An hour covers one side and a gate. Two to three hours lets you walk the whole circuit with stops. Late afternoon into evening is the popular time, when the lantern area opens and the old city's food streets fill. Datong winters are long and cold, and there is no shelter on top, so dress for it.

Things to confirm before you go

The free and ticketed areas and hours for your date.
Which gates and sections are open; parts close for events and works.
Evening show dates, if any.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Datong city wall free?

Since 11 May 2026 the whole wall is free from 07:00 to 17:00. In the evening some sections stay free and the lantern area costs 29 yuan.

Is the wall original?

The line and the earth core are Ming. The brick faces, gates and towers were rebuilt between 2008 and 2016.

How long is the wall?

7,270.7 metres around, about 14 metres high.

What else is near the wall?

Huayan Temple near the west gate and the Nine-Dragon Screen on Heyang Street in the east of the old city.

Sources

Facts in this article were checked against the following sources, retrieved 7 October 2026.

Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the licences shown in each caption.