Nine-Dragon Wall

Detail of the Nine-Dragon Wall at the Forbidden City, in Beijing.

A Nine-Dragon Wall or Nine-Dragon Screen (九龙壁; pinyin: Jiǔ Lóng Bì) is a type of screen wall with reliefs of nine different Chinese dragons. Such walls are typically found in imperial Chinese palaces and gardens.

Early reference to the tradition of putting a screen wall at the gate is found in the Analects, 3:22: therein, it is mentioned as a trivial ritual norm ("The princes of States have a screen intercepting the view at their gates". 邦君樹塞門, trans. by James Legge).

Partial list of Nine-Dragon Walls:

• Beihai Park, Beijing. Built in 1402, it features dragons on both sides.
• Forbidden City, Beijing. Built in 1771, it is located in front of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.
• Datong
• Pingyao
• Hong Kong:
  • Public Square Street Rest Garden, Yau Ma Tei. Located at the back of the Tin Hau Temple.
  • Wong Tai Sin Temple

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  Forbidden City

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  Beihai Park

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  Datong

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  Pingyao

Nine-Dragon Wall in Beihai Park, Beijing

Nine-Dragon Wall in the Forbidden City, Beijing

See also

• 9 (number)
• Nine Dragons (disambiguation page)