Encountering the most beautiful Ming city wall

Where is the most beautiful section of the Nanjing Ming city wall? None surpasses the Tucheng section by the Xuanwu Lake, which is the best-preserved part of the Ming city wall, the essence of it, and also the most well-known route that embodies the characteristic landscape of 'mountain-water city-forest' in Nanjing. The Shanlang Pavilion is located by the lakeside road, offering the best view of Zhongshan from Xuanwu Lake. 'With the clear waves of Xuanwu, reflecting the lush green of Zhongshan.' 'The proportion of Xuanwu Lake to Zhongshan is the best lake-mountain relationship in the country.' Looking eastward, the water embraces the mountain, and the mountain contains the greenery. Amidst the shimmering clear waves, the classic evaluation of the relationship between Zijin Mountain and Xuanwu Lake by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming dynasty over 600 years ago, and the praise from Yang Tingbao, a famous Chinese architect, will unexpectedly meet, making one marvel that those who see the world similarly are not necessarily heroes. 'Thousands of bricks in the city wall, each with deep affection.' To ensure the quality of the city bricks and to clarify responsibilities, each brick was stamped with the names of the brickmaker and the person in charge. Walking under the Ming city wall, while conversing with the ancients through the bricks, if you're lucky enough, you might encounter a cat that calls the city wall home. There are many legends about the cats of Xuanwu Lake, many of which are recorded in the novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The reason can be traced back to the Ming dynasty when Xuanwu Lake was the national archive of the Ming dynasty. To protect the yellow registers, people kept cats to control the mouse problem, and over time, the cats of Xuanwu Lake were gradually mythologized and have proliferated to this day.