Located on the Songcheng Road, the 700-metre-long city wall was first built as an earthen wall in ancient times.

"The function of the wall was to protect Duanzhou's yamen (government office) and the city from outside attack," said Feng Yonghao, a native of Zhaoqing, who has been studying the culture and history of Zhaoqing for 40 years. He was once in charge of the city wall's renovation in 1978.

According to Feng, the earthen wall was replaced by a brick one in 1113, and Piyun Tower was constructed at the top of the wall to overlook the situation outside Duanzhou. The wall had been well preserved for almost 1,000 years until 1924, when endless turmoils and wars destroyed many parts.

In 1978, the local government started to rebuild and maintain it.

"Although having gone through a large scale of reconstruction in the 1970s, the city wall constructed in the Song Dynasty has been well preserved. It has maintained its original appearance till today. This is rare in China," said Feng.

According to Feng, an integral part of the city wall, Piyun Tower is often surrounded by clouds, so that it was named Piyun, meaning "cloud-covered" in Chinese. "The Piyun Tower shows various styles of ancient Chinese architecture," he said.

The present Piyun Tower, 19.3 metres in height, was renovated in 1989.

Since the two historical sites, the Piyun Tower and the city wall, opened to the public in 1990, they have attracted a large number of visitors.

Ancestral Temple

When visiting Zhaoqing, people may hear a lot about Bao Zheng (999-1062), known as Bao Gong, a figure of justice and integrity in China.

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