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30th March, 2001
City Wall Xian: Workers Do Minor Repairs With Stone Blocks And Using Basic Equipment: Night Traffic On Streets; Bicycles Without Lights And Bells
August, 1987
The City Wall Xian had no noisy stallholders to meet us when we went to inspect the ancient fortification, about 40 feet high, on a base of between 50 and 60 feet, and built in the 1370’s; a colossal structure by any standards.
The City Wall Xian dimensions may have been applied following the first use of gunpowder rockets by the Chinese themselves, about one hundred years earlier, but it certainly looked an impressive construction, and probably was strong enough to withstand
the blast from an atomic bomb ! The City Wall Xian had survived for more than 600 years with no apparent damage to the section we were at, but on the outside, some workers seemed to be making repairs, with basic equipment, using substantial blocks of similar stone and probably using the same formula for the mortar, as was used in the past centuries. From where we stood the mortar appeared to be just a mixture of lime and earth.
We were to return to the vicinity of this impressive defence on an evening stroll through the bustling streets, mingling with local families as they inspected the goods displayed on the many stalls. Traffic was not a problem then and the only hazard was avoiding bicycles being ridden without lights or bells, the cyclists weaving their way through the crowds with amazing skills. The pavements were being used for cycle-parking, controlled by a seated attendant who collected the parking fee of a few cents, but how the owners were able to identify their own bikes, when they returned to collect them is another matter, for in my eyes they all looked the same. A bicycle made for one person often carried one or two "passengers", with a young child sitting in a seat attached to the handle bars, and the spouse sitting on the rear carrier, as they went out for their evening meal, or perhaps to visit a cinema.
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The City Wall Xian dimensions may have been applied following the first use of gunpowder rockets by the Chinese themselves, about one hundred years earlier, but it certainly looked an impressive construction, and probably was strong enough to withstand
the blast from an atomic bomb ! The City Wall Xian had survived for more than 600 years with no apparent damage to the section we were at, but on the outside, some workers seemed to be making repairs, with basic equipment, using substantial blocks of similar stone and probably using the same formula for the mortar, as was used in the past centuries. From where we stood the mortar appeared to be just a mixture of lime and earth.