Moat as Shield: The Ancienty City Moat and Walls

"In the construction of ancient Chinese cities, moats and walls were always inseparable: one wall, one river — together forming a defensive system, while also serving drainage, navigation, and landscape purposes. Today, let us walk along the ancient moat to trace the long-vanished city walls and sketch the layout of Beijing across different dynasties."

“在中国古代的城市营建中，护城河与城墙总是在一起：一墙一河，既是防御体系，也发挥排涝、航运和景观功能。今天，就让我们沿着古老的护城河，去寻找早已隐去的城墙踪迹，勾画不同时代北京城的方位。”

"The small river beside us — Xiaoyue River — is in fact a remnant of the Yuan Dynasty capital’s moat. When the Yuan Dynasty founded its capital, the city wall stood much farther north than that of the Ming. After the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing, the city wall was shifted southward, leaving this section outside the walls, known by common people as the Earthen Wall."

“我们身边这条小河——小月河，其实是元大都护城河的遗存。元代建都时，城墙比明代的要北得多。明朝迁都北京后，城墙南移，这段城垣便被留在了城外，成了百姓口中的‘土城’。”

"The city walls of Yuan Dadu were built in the 13th year of the Zhiyuan reign (1276) using rammed earth, which led local residents to call them the “Earthen Walls.” This is also the origin of today’s Beijing place names such as “Xitucheng” (“Western Earthen Wall”).

After Kublai Khan established his capital in Yanjing, he ordered Liu Bingzhong to oversee the planning of the new city. Drawing upon both the ritual system of Central Plains capitals and the nomadic traditions of the northern grasslands, Liu designed a grand, square-shaped metropolis with an orderly grid of streets and avenues, encircled by imposing walls. With its moats, ramparts, imperial palace, and bustling markets, Dadu laid the foundations for Beijing’s urban structure and later served as the model for the Ming and Qing capital.

When the Ming dynasty shifted the city walls southward, the Yuan walls were left outside the new boundaries, and the course of the moat gradually changed. Today, the remaining northern and western sections of the Yuan walls have been preserved as parks, where traces of the old moat can still be discerned. The undulating earthen ramparts and ancient trees mark the earliest remnants of Beijing’s city walls and moat. Now with clear waters, green banks, and winding walkways, the area has become a beloved green space where citizens can relax and connect with the city’s historical heritage."

元大都城垣建于至元十三年（1276），由夯土版筑，因此百姓们称其为“土城”，也是今天北京城“西土城”等地名的由来。

忽必烈定都燕京后，命刘秉忠主持规划新都，参照中原都城礼制与北方草原游牧传统相结合，按照“左祖右社、前朝后市”的规制，营建出一座方正宏伟、街巷纵横、城垣环护的大都城。护城河、城墙、宫城、街市等布局奠定了北京城市格局的基础，也成为后来明清北京城规制的蓝本。

明代南移城墙后，元城垣被隔在城外，护城河的水流也渐渐改变了走向。今天，现存北、西两段城垣遗址辟为公园，护城河旧迹依稀可辨，土城高低起伏、老树苍劲，是老北京最早的护城河和城垣印记。如今这里水清岸绿，步道蜿蜒，是市民休闲、感受历史文脉的重要绿色空间。

"Now, we move from the northwest of Beijing to the southeast, and history shifts from the Yuan to the Ming. This is the Ming City Wall Relics Park. On one side stands the towering Southeast Corner Tower; on the other is the place where the moat once met the Grand Canal."

“现在，我们从北京城的西北来到东南，历史舞台也从元代转换为明代。这里是明城墙遗址公园，一侧是高大的东南角楼，一侧就是当年护城河和大运河交汇的地方。”

At the southeastern corner of Dongbianmen stands the weathered yet imposing Southeast Corner Tower. Tall and majestic, solemn and dignified, it is the largest surviving turret of its kind in China and the only remaining corner arrow tower of the Ming and Qing inner city walls in Beijing, making it one of the enduring symbols of the ancient capital. Behind it, to the northwest, rises the grand and bustling Beijing Railway Station; to the southeast stretches the busy Dongbianmen overpass; while to the east flows the Tonghui River, where echoes of bygone water transport still seem to linger in the air.

The city walls of Ming-era Beijing stretched for 24 kilometers, with each city gate serving a distinct function: Xizhimen admitted carts carrying water, Fuchengmen handled coal deliveries, Chongwenmen collected taxes, while Dongbianmen served as the gateway for grain transported via the Grand Canal. The Southeast Corner Tower, first constructed in the inaugural year of the Zhengtong reign (1436), features 144 arrow slits on its four sides, with eaves adorned by glazed tiles and mythical beasts, presenting an imposing and solemn presence.

Dongbianmen was once a vital wharf for grain transport during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Here the Grand Canal passed through the city and flowed eastward to the major shipping hub of Tongzhou. Well into modern times, memories of the waterways and docks continued to shape the urban fabric of this area.

In 2001, Beijing launched the construction of the Ming City Wall Ruins Park. Today, the walls still stand tall, with lush lawns and winding pathways. Citizens stroll and rest amid the ancient charm, where history and modern life intertwine along the very same ramparts."

在东便门东南角，矗立着一座历经风雨的角楼——东南角楼。它高大巍峨、深沉凝重，是国内现存最大、北京仅存的明清内城城垣转角箭楼，也是古老北京城的象征之一。角楼身后，西北方向是雄伟繁忙的北京站，东南方向是车流不息的东便门立交桥，东侧则紧贴通惠河，昔日水运的气息仿佛仍在耳边回响。

明代北京城墙总长二十四公里，城门各有分工：西直门运水车、阜成门送煤车、崇文门课税、漕粮则由东便门入城。东南角楼建于明正统元年，四面分布着一百四十四个箭窗孔，檐口饰以琉璃瓦与神兽，气势庄严。

东便门曾是元、明、清时期重要的漕运码头，大运河在此穿城而出，东去通往通州漕运枢纽。直到近现代，河道与码头的记忆依旧影响着这里的城市肌理。

2001年，北京启动明城墙遗址公园建设，如今，这里城墙巍然、绿草如茵，步道蜿蜒，市民在古韵中休憩、散步，历史与现代在同一条城垣上交织。

"Do you remember our visit to Jishuitan? In the Yuan era, it was the terminal dock of the Grand Canal. Here, in the Ming Dynasty, stood another canal terminus."

“不知道你是否还记得我们探访过的积水潭？元代时，那里是大运河的终点码头。而这里曾是明代时大运河的终点码头。”

Beijing once had multiple layers of city walls, most of which disappeared amid urban expansion. From the Yuan ramparts to the Ming walls and corner towers, we have traced the lost outlines along the moats. Flowing waters have silently recorded the shifting shape of this ancient capital and continue to nourish modern life in Beijing. Once a defensive work, the moat has become a corridor of history. The waters still flow; the cultural lifeblood endures.

北京曾经有多重城垣，如今大多数城墙和城门已经消失在城市扩展之中。从元大都的城垣，到明城墙与角楼，我们一路沿着护城河寻找隐去的城墙踪迹。水脉流淌，默默记录着古都的格局与变迁，滋养着现代北京的城市生活。护城河曾经是防御工程，如今成为一条历史的长廊。水脉未断，文脉长流。

出品人：王晓辉

Executive Producer: Wang Xiaohui

总监制：薛立胜

Chief Supervisor: Xue Lisheng

总策划：蔚力

Chief Planner: Yu Li

制片：张芃芃

Producer: Zhang Pengpeng

策划：张芃芃 丁素云 曹川川 李颖

Creative Planning: Zhang Pengpeng, Ding Suyun, Cao Chuanchuan, Li Ying

导演：龚小磊

Director: Gong Xiaolei

撰稿：张芃芃

Screenwriter: Zhang Pengpeng

主持人：荣希玛 (Chaima El Moujradi) 劳拉 (Laura Ugalde) 德密柰 (Marina Dech)

Hosts: Chaima El Moujradi, Laura Ugalde, Marina Dech

摄像：李春浩 王恺琦

Cinematography: Li Chunhao, Wang Kaiqi

跟机：王俊胜

Camera Assistant: Wang Junsheng

剪辑：王恺琦 顾钧予 刘泽敖

Editing: Wang Kaiqi, Gu Junyu, Liu Zeao

调色：康凯

Color Grading: Kang Kai

混音：康凯

Sound Mixing: Kang Kai

推广：孟超 李昭 姜壹平 苏向东 丁素云 王雁青 葛蕾 秦金月 张静

Promotion: Meng Chao, Li Zhao, Jiang Yiping, Su Xiangdong, Ding Suyun, Wang Yanqing, Ge Lei, Qin Jinyue, Zhang Jing

节目承制：大音

Produced by: NEWSAYING (Shanghai) Consulting and Planning Co., Ltd.