Riding on the ancient city wall of Xi 'an.

At 6 o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived at Yongning Gate, Nan 'an Street, Xi 'an, checked tickets from the inner city gate, and boarded the ancient city wall of Xi 'an along the blue brick steps. The walls are paved with blue bricks, simple and remote, and the Kuixing Building in the main building of the city gate is sharp and magnificent.

Yongningmen is the south gate of the ancient city wall, with three ticket holes on both sides for traffic and traffic around the island. Nanguan Street is located on the north-south axis of Xi 'an. Looking around, the traffic flows from south to north. On both sides of the street, antique buildings and modern high-rise buildings coexist harmoniously, which has become the eternal coordinate of this Millennium ancient capital.

Among Xi 'an 18 city gates, only Yongning Gate completely retains the shape of "three doors and three floors" in Ming Dynasty. From the outside to the inside, there are the city gate, the watchtower and the main building, which constitute the triple defense of Xi 'an, the ancient capital, and well realize the strategic defense function of the city gate.

(A small town stands out on the wall, and three walls and a wall * * * form a small square city-"Wengcheng"; On the periphery of the urn, there is a slightly short wall, which is built near the moat and guards the urn like a half moon, called "Moon City".

The small town building on the Moon City uses steel cables to control the lifting of the suspension bridge on the moat. Just like the gate of the moat, it is called the "gatehouse". The moon city and the gatehouse constitute the first line of defense; There is a fortress-like tower on the urn, which is covered with arrow holes (used for observation and archery), called the Arrow Tower. The urn and the arrow tower form the second line of defense; The grand attic on the wall is the main building and the command post of the wartime city defense. The main building and the wall constitute the third line of defense. )

After 7 o'clock, the summer heat gradually receded. We rented a tandem bicycle and a bicycle to ride near the south gate to experience the age and vicissitudes of the ancient city wall. We walked west against the afterglow of the sunset. In the new urban area outside the city wall, high-rise buildings have sprung up, and the scenery inside the city wall is constantly changing with the region: near the south gate, the eaves are winding, the blue bricks and tiles are desolate, and the tall trees and dense forests are lush; Among the tourist attractions, antique halls and pavilions are magnificent | antique; In the old community, the residential floors are stacked one after another; There are shanty towns, sparsely populated, low and old. ...

At first, we enjoyed the night breeze blowing gently, stopped riding and looked down at the building, leisurely and carefree. I never thought that the sky was getting dark and the destination was still missing. It's a long way, and Xiu Yuan is embarrassed, so we must continue to sprint. Later, I learned that this ancient city wall is a closed rectangle with a circumference of nearly 14 km. ) So we rode east, west, north and south, and finally returned to the car rental point in Yongningmen, South Gate at 8: 30 (only when the deposit was refunded did we know that 45 yuan could ride each car for three hours, and we could return the car at any car rental point on the wall before 8: 00, and only at the South Gate after 8: 00).

As night falls, the colorful lights and neon lights inside and outside the city wall have been lit up for the second time, as gorgeous as the Milky Way. The 24 solar lanterns near Yongning Gate are colorful. Let's hide under them like children and take beautiful photos like "big stickers". The Kuixing Building at the gate and the antique buildings around it are outlined by lights, with a grand outline and a magnificent atmosphere. The blurred and colorful light and shadow dance, which makes people dream back to Chang 'an instantly and get lost in the prosperous times.

One stop north of Yongning Gate is Xi 'an Bell Tower. We boarded the Kaiyuan Shopping Mall opposite the bell tower, only to see the traffic around the island under the bell tower, like a light reaching into the distance. During the day, the bell tower with carved beams and painted buildings and cornices is more colorful and resplendent under the light.

We are immersed in the charming and splendid night in the ancient capital Chang 'an, and we are reluctant to go back for a long time.