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The Xi'an city wall as seen from the ground floor of the watch tower at Yongningmen (South Gate). The wall encloses the center of Xian (called Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty). The Xi'an City Wall was constructed in the 2nd year of the Sui Dynasty (582 AD) and was maintained in the Sui and Tang dynasties. The city wall has a circumference of 13.74 kilometers. The wall was extended north and east by the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), Zhu Yuanzhang, to its present size of 12 meters high, 12-14 meters wide at the top and 15-18 meters wide at the bottom (street level). The Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) is considered the "Golden Age" of the Chinese civilization.

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