Located at the center of the city of Datong, the Nine Dragon Screen looks magnificent, ranking the first among the dragon walls of the its kind in China. 

The screen was originally guarding the gates to the mansion of Prince Hongwu, the 13th son of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). According to Chinese superstition, ghosts and devils can only travel in straight lines, so these magnificent screens were placed before residency gates in order to block their paths. The two meter thick screen and glaring dragons certainly make penetration of this screen difficult. 

This glazed-brick structure has nine dragons sculptured in relief in five colors. As a symbol of the ancient emperors of China, the dragons were depicted fighting and frolicking in the clouds above the blue sea. The screen is 45.5 meters long, 8 meters high, and 2 meters thick. It was built more than six hundred years ago, and is not only larger than the nine-dragon screen in Beijing's Beihai Park, but three hundred years older.