Nanjing City Wall hosts Walking Nanjing 70 li on 18 October
Published on 10/18/2026 at 02:56 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Nanjing City Wall hosts Walking Nanjing 70 li in Nanjing on 18 October 2026, starting from the Zhonghua Gate area. The event combines a 35-kilometre challenge route with a 3-kilometre family route across historic sections of the city wall.
The wall is also known as Nanjing Chengqiang in local usage, but its established English name is Nanjing City Wall. The event gives visitors a specific way to encounter the monument on 18 October, although participation follows the organiser's arrangements rather than ordinary sightseeing.
Walking Nanjing 70 li starts at Zhonghua Gate
The event begins at Zhonghua Gate, the southern starting point named in the official event notice for 18 October. The full route covers 35 kilometres, or 70 li, and returns to Zhonghua Gate after passing several wall gates.
The shorter route covers 3 kilometres and runs from Zhonghua Gate through Yuhuamen and Wudingmen before ending at Dongshuiguan. The longer route passes Zhongshan Gate, Taiping Gate, Shence Gate, Yijiang Gate, Dinghuai Gate and Jiqing Gate before returning to the starting point.
The event is organised by Nanjing Daily Media Group and the Nanjing City Wall Protection and Management Centre, with Nanjing Bank as title sponsor. The city government notice says the event is being held in the year marking 660 years since construction of the wall began.
Nanjing City Wall links the routes to a 660-year history
The Nanjing City Wall was first built in 1366 and completed 28 years later, according to the official wall profile from Nanjing's Foreign Affairs Office. The capital-city wall originally measured 35.267 kilometres.
Today, 25.091 kilometres of the wall remain. The structure forms part of Nanjing's urban landscape and includes the Zhonghua Gate barbican, where the 18 October routes begin. That connection gives the walking event a route through the monument's surviving gates rather than a single stop at one viewpoint.
The wall's design belongs to the Ming period and incorporates palace, imperial, capital and outer city sections. Its surviving stretches pass through modern Nanjing, so the event links the historic defensive structure with the city's present-day streets and neighbourhoods.
Walking Nanjing 70 li sets two route choices
For visitors, the practical distinction is between the 35-kilometre full route and the 3-kilometre family route. The first follows a long circuit through multiple gates, while the second remains a shorter outing between Zhonghua Gate and Dongshuiguan.
The event notice says that the walking activity supports the protection of the city wall. It also describes an online and offline check-in programme running from 28 September to 25 October 2026, extending the event's public activity beyond the main walking day.
Visiting Nanjing City Wall: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The event takes place on 18 October 2026, beginning at Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing.
- Visitors should distinguish the event routes from ordinary wall visits: the 35-kilometre route returns to Zhonghua Gate, while the 3-kilometre route ends at Dongshuiguan.
- The named wall points include Zhonghua Gate, Yuhuamen, Wudingmen, Dongshuiguan, Zhongshan Gate, Taiping Gate, Shence Gate, Yijiang Gate, Dinghuai Gate and Jiqing Gate.
- The route is a substantial walking activity, with the longer option covering 35 kilometres and the shorter option covering 3 kilometres.
- The official language is Chinese and the national currency is the renminbi.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Nanjing City Wall
When does Walking Nanjing 70 li take place at Nanjing City Wall?
Walking Nanjing 70 li takes place on 18 October 2026, beginning at Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing.
What is Nanjing City Wall?
Nanjing City Wall is a Ming-period city wall first built in 1366 and completed 28 years later. A total of 25.091 kilometres of the wall remain.
Where is Nanjing City Wall and how do you get there?
The event begins at Zhonghua Gate in Qinhuai District, Nanjing. The published routes also name Dongshuiguan, Zhongshan Gate, Taiping Gate, Shence Gate, Yijiang Gate, Dinghuai Gate and Jiqing Gate.
