Hangzhou City Wall

The Hangzhou City Wall was the city wall that once surrounded Hangzhou during the medieval and early modern periods of imperial China. Despite being the most populous city in the world during the Song and early Yuan dynasties, the historic city was much smaller than the borders of the present Hangzhou Municipality and only surrounded the districts immediately east of West Lake in the present city's urban core. The walls were largely dismantled in the early 20th century and what remains has largely been rebuilt and maintained as tourist attractions, but they were a significant part of Hangzhou's historical urban identity and the wall's course and gates are still evidenced by many aspects of modern Hangzhou's design and place names.