The city wall of Xian was built by the first Emperor of Ming Dynasty--- Zhu Yuanzhang. It is an extension of the old Tang Dynasty structure. It is 12--14 meters across the top, 15--18 meters thick at bottom and 13.7 kilometers in length.

There are 98 ramparts on the wall. Each rampart has a sentry building, in which the soldiers could protect the entire wall without exposing themselves to the enemy. On the outer side of the city wall, there are 5948 crenellations, namely battlements. The soldiers can outlook and shoot at the enemy. On the inner side, parapets were built to protect the soldiers from falling off.

In Xian, the city wall includes four gates and they are respectively named as Changle (meaning eternal joy) in the east, Anding (harmony peace) in the west, Yongning (eternal peace) in the south and Anyuan (forever harmony) in the north. The south gate, Yongning, is the most beautifully decorated one. It is very near to the Bell Tower, center of the city. Important greeting ceremonies organized by the Provincial Government are usually held in the south gate square.

More recently (since 1983) the Shaanxi Provincial Government restored the city wall again. A circular park has been built along the high wall and the deep moat. The thriving trees and flowers decorate the classical Chinese architecture of the wall, adding additional beauty to the city of Xian.