Virgos gather at old city wall for huge birthday celebration
Print Edition
TWO hundred Virgos, people born between August 22 and September 22, held a grand birthday party on Nanjing’s Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) city wall to celebrate the wall’s 650th birthday yesterday.
They shared birthday cakes and gifts with the youngest party-goer just 1 year old, and the oldest in his 90s.
British musician Charlie Siem, who was in the city for activities related to the 2016 London Design Festival, joined the gathering on the ancient wall and played celebratory music on his violin.
Built on September 5, 1366, the wall is one of the world’s largest and best preserved ancient city walls, and 25.1 kilometers of it remains in good condition. The highest part of the wall is 24 meters and the thickest part is 15 meters wide.
Nanjing is leading a UNESCO world heritage application for the world’s oldest city walls in partnership with seven other cities, including Xi’an, which also boast ancient city walls. The application is under review by the State Bureau of Cultural Relics.
Zhu Yuhong was among the birthday crowd with her granddaughter. She said she grew up hearing a local opera — the Past of South Town Nanjing — in which lyrics state that the city wall has 13 gates.
Currently, the city wall has only four gates. Many parts of the wall have been damaged through war and urban development.
Cao Fangqing, head of the Nanjing City Wall Protection and Management Center, said that repairs of the wall have been ongoing for a dozen years, helping to restore and open up a lengthy section to the public.
Many cultural and sporting activities, such as poetry writing contests and city walking races, are held on the ancient wall throughout the year.
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