But the city of Kunming seems to have nothing to do with the "antiquity" of the ancient city. In addition to place names, walking on the streets of Kunming really doesn't feel a trace of antiquity.
This is largely because there are too few ancient buildings in Kunming, especially the ancient city walls and gates, which are not the symbols of the ancient city.
But is there really no ancient city wall in Kunming?
Speaking of the Ming City Wall in Kunming, there is a key figure here: Mu Ying.
In the 14th year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (138 1), Mu Ying, Fu Youde and Aquamarine, the adopted sons of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of Ming Dynasty, led 300,000 troops to levy in Yunnan. After Yunnan was pacified, Mu Ying stayed in Yunnan to guard it, which opened the Ming Dynasty's rule over Yunnan.
After entering Yunnan, specifically Kunming, the provincial capital, in order to stabilize the rule, in the fifteenth year of Ming Hongwu (1382), Mu Ying abandoned the ancient earthen city and built a brick wall.
According to historical records, Mu Gong and Mu Ying, who occupied Kunming at that time, thought that entering Kunming was not "restoring old things, but unprecedented", so they burned "barbarian things" and "built Yunnan House and brick city".
Under the strong promotion of Mu Ying, the great event of building Kunming city wall was finally achieved.
Kunming Ming City Wall was built, with a total length of nine miles and three points and a height of twenty feet, nine feet and two inches. The city wall has six doors and six towers, which are slightly square.
In earlier years, this section of the city wall was east to Xiaoxiao East Gate, south to the nearest park, west to Xiaoximen, north to Tongyuan Mountain Beiling, and there was a moat around the city!
Nowadays, in addition to phenomena, you can also see the appearance of the old Kunming brick city in the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the Kunming Museum.
Unfortunately, due to historical changes, this geomantic pattern is unique, and the old city of Kunming, which is unique in the history of urban construction in China, has long been unrecognizable.
Even the walls are about to be torn down.
Fortunately, in the northeast corner of Tong Yuan Park, there is a part of the city wall!
From the main entrance of Kunming Zoo not far from Monkey Mountain, you can see a wall made of blue bricks, the length of which is no more than 100 meters.
Only a small section of the city wall survived, covered with moss traces. At the head of the city wall, there are even stout native Yunnan tree species: one is chestnut and the other is Yunnan cypress.
The wall of the Ming city wall is made of earth, and the outer wall is made of lime slurry. According to the data, each city brick is 33cm long, 18cm wide, 13.5cm thick and weighs 12.5kg, and each city brick is burned with the emblem of "supervision of manufacturing".
You can come to the city wall along the stone steps on the north side of the brick wall or from the path of the rockery next to Park Road.
The flat wall is paved with bricks to form a large platform with pavilions for tourists to rest on. And added a guardrail on the edge of the city wall.
Standing on the edge of the guardrail at the head of the city, not far away is the tall tree crown that grows between the "a nest of sheep" stones. Standing on the head of the ancient city wall, you can't feel the dangerous wind at all.
Only by returning to the city wall, stroking the huge bricks, and then looking up at the city head, can we feel the majestic momentum and historical vicissitudes.
Unfortunately, it is such a section of the only remaining Ming city wall, because it is curled up in a remote corner of the park, and it is difficult to be found and valued if it is not deliberately searched.
The only section of the Ming wall in Kunming, is it the only one standing here quietly and telling its past to the "sheep" under the wall?