CHINA'S capital and the capital of five dynasties, Beijing's rich history was long embodied by a complex network of city walls, much of which is now lost. Hege Tollerud pays a visit to see what is, and what was.

I'd expected the story of the Beijing city walls to be more a story about what is lost than of what to see.

And in truth, there's not that much left of the original city walls.

However, the area around what remains has been beautifully made up into a lovely green area, embraced by the locals as a place to come for leisure and recreation.

Not least for dog walkers. Arriving at the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park in the Chongwen District of Beijing on a Saturday afternoon, it was more Dog Central than City Wall.

I counted 20 before I had walked 50 meters along the wall. Small dogs, mainly, or "knitted dogs," as my friend calls them. No offence, she calls all small dogs knitted dogs.

Better cultural environment

The Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park opened to the public in September 2002, with a second stage of landscaping the following year.

The initiative was launched in November 2001, aimed at preserving the ancient capital and offering a better cultural environment for locals and tourists alike.

It contains the longest and best preserved remains of the Beijing ancient city wall, at a total length of just over 1.5 kilometers. You cannot walk on the remaining parts, but the wall provides a great backdrop for a stroll in the park.

There are said to be more than 300 different types of trees, and no less than 100,000 varieties of flowers in the park.

Beijing's city walls differ from many other famous city walls of China in that they were composed of a set of several fortifications.

There were so many gates and a complex system of walls that it's hard to keep them apart and not get totally confused.

The system of fortifications was basically rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and included the Forbidden City as the core, the palace wall in the periphery, the inner city and the outer city.

The Forbidden City walls are still largely standing, surrounding what is now the Palace Museum. Some of the Imperial walls are also still there, including what is likely to be the most famous gate, the Tian'anmen (Tian'an Gate), or Gate of Heavenly Peace (the one with the Mao portrait).

The inner city wall was 24km long and 20 meters thick when it was built, with a height of 15m.

Together with the outer walls, the total perimeter was 60km.

Guide Michael Wei told me that the inner city walls originally had nine gates - Zhengyang, Chongwen, Xuanwu, Dongzhi, Chaoyang, Xizhi, Fucheng, Desheng and Anding.

The outer city had seven city gates - Dongbian, Guangqu, Zuo'an, Yongding, You'an, Xibian and Guang'an.

Nothing is left of the outer city walls, and only a few of the original gates and towers remain - the Dongbian Gate, the Desheng Gate watchtower in the north, and Yongding Gate near the Temple of Heaven in the south, which was totally reconstructed in 2004.

My guide Michael explained that each city gate had a different function, which sounded quite amusing.

For instance, Chaoyang Gate was designated for grain to pass through, Chongwen for wine, Xuanwu for prisoner vans, Fucheng was for coal, and so on.

According to Michael, the history of Beijing's city wall probably originates from the later period of the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC). At that time, Michael explained, there were two kingdoms in Beijing, namely Yan and Ji.

In 1045 BC, the Yan built up the city wall, the part now located in the northwest of Beijing.

"From there, the history of Beijing's city wall culture was initiated and was hereafter also subject to vicissitudes and new development along with historic evolution," said my guide, with a linguistic flourish.

"The ancient city wall in Beijing was built in Zhongdu - the capital city of the Jin Dynasty (AD 265-420) - and the basis of present-day Beijing," he added.

Rich character

Michael is extremely enthusiastic about everything in Beijing, and a great source of information.

"The city wall of Beijing had an extremely rich character," he said.

The exterior of the wall had a different gradient and the wall bricks were trapezium-shaped, while the inner sidewall was slightly steeper than the outer, he explained.

Ramps allowing easy access for horses and an archers' tower on the city gate also contributed to the defenses.

The main function of the city wall was military defense, and it played a vital role in ensuring stable city life and promoting city development.

It boasted what was the most extensive defense system in Imperial China.

But Beijing's city wall was not only a fortification. It was also intended to be a symbol of a dominant center, of dignity and heavenliness, a political, economic and cultural center and the link uniting regional culture.

Michael said that of the entire ancient city wall in Beijing, the parts that can still be seen were built in the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

No trace remains of the city walls from very early times.

"Beijing's city wall is a masterpiece owing to its grand verve and spirit. It is not only the brick structure for defense, but also a great project embodying the beautiful physique of Beijing," said Michael.

"It is a symbol of the time when humanity made a step toward civilization," he added.

Informative exhibitions

But of course, much of what Michael is so proud of has been lost.

"Levelled in the 1950s to facilitate transport and blot out the grandeur of earlier dynasties, the city wall is perhaps Beijing's most conspicuous chunk of lost heritage," wrote Daniel McCrohan, Lonely Planet Beijing author.

But there are a couple of interesting and informative photographic exhibitions about the city wall and its gates inside some of the gateways.

The one inside the Southeast Corner Tower (inside a gallery called the Red Gate Gallery) is particularly good. They have some great photos of the city wall and the original gateways across the city, plus some old maps from when the wall was still intact. There's a similar, but less extensive exhibition inside the Qianmen gateway.

In 1965, most of the Beijing inner city walls gave way to the Second Ring Road, one of the most important roads in Beijing, which traces the shape of the ancient city wall on which it's built.

The road is home to the headquarters of big companies, like Petro China, as well as some famous theaters.

Driving along reveals one massive building more spectacular than the previous - a mighty line up of glass and steel bling.

Strolling along what is left the wall in Beijing left me with a constant smile on my face.

This is real-life Beijing, people engaging in conversations - most likely over the latest in dog food or dog fashion.

Granddads were teaching youngsters to ride their bikes or drive electric toy cars, while a group of amateur photographers focused on the subject in what looked like a photography course lesson. Good choice of location, I'd say.

Visiting the relics of the Beijing city wall doesn't take forever. It is, however, a pleasant experience spent among locals in an oasis in the capital.

And, more plans and projects restoring and rebuilding further parts of the city walls, gates, towers and barbicans around Beijing are already under way.

Better late than never!

Glimpses of glory

The Beijing city walls used to compose of a set of several fortifications. Due to wars and city expansion, most of the original city walls were lost. Today, there is not much left except the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park, Zhengyang Gate and the Southeast Corner Tower. However, from these left buildings, we can still get a glimpse of the beauty and glory of the old Beijing city walls.

Liang Sicheng's protection plan

In early 1950s, famous Chinese architect Liang Sicheng, who was the vice director of the Beijing City Planning Commission at the time, put forward a proposal to set up a new administrative center for government buildings outside the old Beijing city.

In his plan, the Inner City would have become a cultural center and all gates and walls preserved. The illustration to the left by Liang shows how he planned to make the city walls into public parks, on which people could stroll, have tea and enjoy the view of the old city.

If you go

Where to stay

We stayed in the lovely Pentahotel Beijing, which is literally next to where the wall ends at the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park - something we didn't realize before actually visiting this part of the wall on our second day. It is a fresh and well-located hotel, with friendly staff and a great breakfast that will keep you going on long days of exploring (www.pentahotels.com).