There are 13 inner and 18 outer gates of Nanjing City Wall
The Tongjimen city wall is the largest in terms of area
The fifties and sixties of the 20th century
The wall of Tongjimen was demolished
It only remains in the memory of the old Nanjing people
At the beginning of 2016, the then Nanjing Institute of Archaeology carried out archaeological excavations on Qiujiawan Square west of Longpan Middle Road and south of Baixia Road in Qinhuai District, and discovered the ruins of the northwest corner of Tongjimen Wengcheng, where it was planned to build Tongjimen Ruins Park.
On June 27, according to the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources, the project plan for the protection and display of cultural relics at the Tongjimen site of the Nanjing City Wall and the revision of the plan of the NJZCa030-32 planning and management unit of the "Nanjing Main Urban Area (Urban Area) Regulatory Detailed Planning - Qinhuai Old Town Unit" are being publicized for public comment. This means that the Tongjimen Ruins Park is finally about to be built, and the Tongjimen City Wall Ruins are planned to be protected and displayed in the open air to meet everyone. The park has an entrance plaza and sky booths. It is reported that the park strives to start construction within the year.
Renderings
Build an open Tongjimen Ruins Park
The ruins of the city wall are planned to be protected and displayed in the open air
The project is located in the national key cultural relics protection unit Nanjing City Wall (Tongjimen Ruins) cultural relics protection line, municipal cultural relics protection unit Dazhong Bridge and rail transit control and protection line and the control of the blue line of the inner Qinhuai River, east of the Tongjimen Tunnel, west of the Inner Qinhuai River, south of the Dongcheng waterfront community, north of the Dazhong Bridge, covering an area of about 0.68 hectares, the nature of the land is a streetside green space.
Project location map
According to the plan, in order to protect and display the archaeological discovery of the Tongjimen site, according to the relevant protection requirements of the Nanjing City Wall, the Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau reported to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage for approval, the city wall site is planned to adopt the open-air protection and display method. In April 2024, after expert demonstration organized by the Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, the relevant plan was revised and improved again through the expert consultation meeting jointly organized by the Municipal Planning Commission Office and the Mingcheng Office. According to the planning plan, the site will be displayed, supporting services and green space will be built here, with a floor area of 775 square meters, a plot ratio of 0.11, and a green space rate of 35%.
From the general plan, it can be seen that the Tongjimen Ruins Park will be an open park, and the site exploration area will be set up inside, which will be located in a semi-underground space for open-air protection and display. There is also an aerial booth next to it, where citizens and tourists can walk up to the booth and get a glimpse of the ruins of the city wall. At the same time, there is also an entrance square and a sunken square in the park, and the green landscape is arranged to change the scenery step by step. It is worth mentioning that there are also steps along the river, and in the future, you can walk along the Qinhuai River to Dongshuiguan Park from the heritage park.
Master plan
In 2016, archaeological discoveries were made in the northwest corner of Tongjimen Urn City
It is understood that at the beginning of 2016, the then Nanjing Institute of Archaeology discovered the northwest corner of Tongjimen Wengcheng under the north square of the Dongcheng Waterfront Community. At the former archaeological site, two stone wall foundations came to an abrupt end here, presenting an acute angle. The stone wall base, one extends to the south of the Dongcheng waterfront community, the other extends to the southeast, and Longpan Middle Road rides on the wall base. If you look closely, the construction of this northwest corner is not simple, and the outermost side is built with very large stone bars, and the middle is filled with irregular stones. In the north wall, the drainage ditch that is more than 600 years old is still intact. According to experts, the excavation length of the west wall is 11.10 meters long from north to south, the residual width is 5.05 meters, and the residual height is 0.5 meters, while the excavation length of the north wall is 19 meters long from east to west, 5.5 meters wide from north to south, and the residual height is 0.55-0.85 meters. Their masonry method is the same, they are all flat ground building, with a stone directly on the rammed earth, the inside of the stone, that is, the bottom of the city wall, with different sizes of stones, bricks mixed with lime slurry mixed and pasted, greatly enhance the integrity and solidity of the wall.
At that time, it was planned to build the Tongjimen Ruins Park
Why hasn't there been any movement?
According to relevant sources, the main reason was that the plot had been sold to a development company, and the ruins of the city wall were found in the archaeology before the development, and the project was suspended. In recent years, the resumption of the plot has been completed, and Professor Chen Wei of Southeast University has been invited to preside over the planning and design. After the announcement of the plan, we will strive to start construction within the year.
Historically, Tongjimen was like an ancient ship
It's bigger than the Zhonghua Gate
Many people believe that among the 13 city gates in the early Ming Dynasty
Zhonghua Gate is the largest surviving urn city in the world
In fact, the disappeared Tongji Gate is even bigger than it
Yang Guoqing, an expert in the study of Nanjing city wall, said that Tongji Gate was like an ancient ship in history. Among the 13 city gates in the early Ming Dynasty, the Jubao Gate was decent and boxy; But Tongji Gate is not, it covers a large area and is ship-shaped.
The Wengcheng, which is in the same boat shape as the Tongji Gate, also has the Shuixi Gate and the Shicheng Gate (that is, today's Hanxi Gate). Jubao Gate, Shuixi Gate, Tongji Gate, and Hongwu Gate (the south gate of the imperial city) were all built in the same year. Completed in 1386 AD, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the construction by the supervision of the Chinese military governor's office, and the central finance directly to build. At that time, except for Hongwu Gate, the other three city gates were built with inner urn cities.
Tongji Gate is located in the south of the city, sitting in the north and facing south. During the Ming Dynasty, entering the city gate to the southwest, it was a lively commercial district; To the northeast is the heavily guarded Imperial Palace area. Tongji Gate has three inner urn cities, which are "ship-shaped", and there are several "urn holes" inside, and there are 4 door walls. It is reported that from the completion of the Tongji Gate Urn City to the escape of Emperor Hongguang of the Southern Ming Dynasty from Tongji Gate in 1645, it witnessed the process of the Ming Dynasty from glory to extinction.
When was the Tongjimen Urn City demolished?
It is understood that the Tongji Gate was in serious danger and could not be repaired in time for a long time. In the summer of 1958, the Nanjing Municipal Construction Bureau issued a notice to the Nanjing Municipal Cultural Relics Preservation Committee, stating that "the Tongji Gate in this city is in disrepair and the danger is becoming more and more serious; In addition, there will be many new industries established outside the city, and the existence of this gate will also seriously hinder traffic. After consideration by the municipal party committee, it has been agreed to be demolished. After research, the Cultural Management Committee submitted a report to the Municipal Bureau of Culture on July 23 on whether the Tongji Gate could be demolished.
On February 3, 1960, the then Baixia District was responsible for demolishing the walls of the two urn castles. The remaining urn city of Tongji Gate has been in disrepair for a long time, and the cracking of the city wall is even more serious. In October 1962, the demolition work began again and continued until the beginning of the following year. In May 1963, after the demolition of Tongji Gate and Neiweng City, 10 stone piers remained, but in the end, 10 stone piers were also demolished.
Source: Modern Express/Modern + reporter Zhao Dandan Hu Yumei
Image source: Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources official website
Reprint source: Nanjing release