Four ancient city walls in Datong were reconnected on Nov 18, marking the completion of eight years' restoration of Datong Ancient City Wall.

The ancient city walls were built in 1372 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and have fallen into ruin over hundreds of years since. In 2009, Datong invested more than five billion yuan ($725.65 million) in restoring the historic site. Some 23,900 households had to be relocated in order to finish the renovation work.

The newly repaired walls are 14 meters high and extend 7.24 km, enclosing an area of 265,000 square meters. There are 71 wooden structures built on the walls, such as gate towers and turrets. The ancient city walls have four gates, namely Heyangmen in the east, Qingyuanmen in the west, Yongtaimen in the south, and Wudingmen in the north.

Apart from renovating the walls, the Datong government has tried to improve the environment surrounding the ancient city. A project costing around 1 billion yuan was initiated in 2008 to dredge the moat and build a park around the ruins.

The environmentally-friendly park consists of green space, a plaza, a gallery and a wharf in an area measuring 150 hectares, integrating shopping and entertainment for visitors.

Datong has also been working on developing tourism associated with the ancient city walls since 2015, while advancing the restoration project to preserve the historic site.

Big events, such as the International Sculpture Biennial and Datong Dream Fair, have been held around the walls, keeping the site relevant to the public. Some 367,000 people have visited since it was opened to the public on Sept 1, 2016. The site is currently free of charge for visitors.

A ceremony of celebration is held at Datong Ancient City Wall on Nov 18 to mark completion of the restoration project. It took the Datong government eight years and more than five billion yuan ($725.65 million) to finish renovating the ancient city walls. [Photo/sx.people.com.cn]

A girl touches a plaque commemorating the restoration project at the ancient city walls of Datong on Nov 18. [Photo/sx.people.com.cn]