Facelift of ancient city wall in Shanxi completed (4)

The restoration of the Datong Ancient City Wall was completed on Nov. 18, as the last three commemorative bricks connecting the eastern and western sections of the wall were finally installed.

The renovated wall is 14 meters high and 7.27 kilometers long, covering an area of 265,000 square meters. The wall was built in 1372 during the Ming Dynasty (1368－1644). In 2009, the city in northern China's Shanxi province launched the restoration project with an investment of over 5 billion RMB ($725 million). A total of 23,888 households were relocated for the project.

In 2008, construction of a moat and park in the city wall area began, with a total investment of approximately 1 billion RMB ($145 million). The park covers 1.5 million square meters and is available for cultural and commercial functions. The park has been open and free to the public since Sept. 1.