The city of Beijing, the ancient capital of thousands of years, carries countless historical changes. Those ancient city walls that once guarded the imperial city are like a sleeping dragon, lying in the long river of time, witnessing the change of dynasties and the various states in the world. It is a pity that time is ruthless, and the tide of modernization is coming, and these city walls bearing the imprint of Chinese civilization have turned into a pile of loess in just a few years, leaving endless sighs for future generations.

The foundation stone was laid in the Yuan Dynasty and reinforced in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the ancient city walls of Beijing were originally built to defend against foreign enemies. They are not only military fortresses, but also cultural symbols, condensing the painstaking efforts of craftsmen and the wisdom of the nation. Standing under the Chaoyang Gate, you seem to be able to hear the camel bells of the caravans in ancient times, and feel the majesty of the city gate when it is opened. The glazed tiles on the castle tower glittered in the sun, and the kissing beast held its head high, guarding the lifeblood of the city. But who would have thought that such a magnificent scene would become a victim of a demolition storm in the 50s of the 0th century?

Things have to start after the founding of New China. At that time, the development of the city was in full swing, the roads had to be widened, and the transportation had to be convenient, but the ancient city wall was regarded by some people as a "stumbling block". In 12 years, the horn of demolition sounded, Chaoyang Gate, Xizhi Gate, Chongwen Gate...... One by one, the city gate towers were torn down, and the 0.0-kilometer city wall, accounting for 0.0% of the total city wall, was wiped out in the roar of bulldozers. Kong Qingpu, a technician at the Beijing Municipal Construction Bureau at the time, personally participated in the demolition. He recorded the disappearance of 0 urn cities, 0 city towers, and 0 city platforms, the numbers are cold, but they can't hide the heaviness of history.

The demolition was not without controversy. Liang Sicheng, a lifelong scholar obsessed with ancient architecture, went to great lengths to call for the city walls to be preserved. He and Chen Zhanxiang proposed the "Liang Chen Plan", hoping to leave a place for the ancient city wall in urban planning. Unfortunately, the plan failed to change the decision. Liang Sicheng once wrote in his diary that demolishing the city wall was like cutting off his own flesh and blood. That pain is still poignant to read. On the other hand, Guo Moruo and others believe that the city wall has no practical value, and it still bears the feudal imprint of the old era. Two voices, two choices, collided with the helplessness of that era.

When Chaoyang Gate was demolished, the streets below the city tower were still lively. Hawkers shouting and selling sugar gourds, rickshaw drivers squatting on the roadside waiting for business, and pedestrians are constantly flowing. In the city gate cave, a bus drove slowly, as if to see off this ancient gate. A few days later, the towering tower was left with nothing but a pile of broken tiles, and the foundation was bare, like a warrior stripped of his armor. Similar scenes are repeatedly staged in Xizhimen, Deshengmen, and Chongwenmen. Xizhimen, called Heyimen in the Yuan Dynasty, changed the name in the Ming Dynasty, guarded the west gate of the capital for hundreds of years, and now only the name of the subway station remains, talk about comfort. Chongwenmen, the country's largest tax customs, known as the "tax gate", the surrounding alleys live old Beijingers, the breath of life is so strong that it can't be opened. It's a pity that as soon as the bulldozer came, these became memories in old photos.

There is also a bell tower, which was there in the Yuan Dynasty, and the drum tower was used to tell the time. The bell is loud and can be heard dozens of miles away, as if reminding people of the passage of time. Before the demolition, there were still residents under the bell tower to gather in the market, vendors set up stalls, cars and horses were noisy, and the breath of life was blowing in the face. Unfortunately, the bell eventually stopped and the building collapsed. On the other side, not to mention the bustling of Qianmen Street. The neat shops and the bustling flow of people constitute the most vivid picture of the old Beijing. At the foot of the city wall, there are even shepherds driving their flocks leisurely. The city walls are tall, and the people below are as small as ants, and the sense of heaviness makes people can't help but be in awe of the wisdom of the ancients.

The reasons for the demolition now seem a bit thin. In order to build the railway, in order to widen the road, in order to "modernize" the city, the city walls were sacrificed. In 1958 years, the demolition operation came to an end, and almost no tiles remained of the ancient city wall of Beijing. Only a few relics such as Chongwen Gate and Southeast City Corner Tower remain, like a lonely old man, telling the glory of the past. Have you ever wondered? If these walls were still there, what would Beijing look like today? Will it be more historical, or will it become a burden to urban development?