Taiyuan, the capital of northwest China's Shanxi Province, is repairing the only remaining original segment of the wall that once surrounded the city 627 year ago. The renovation project is one of a series of measures being carried out by the city government to mark the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the city. The original city wall, measuring 12 km long and 11.7 meters high, was built in 1376 during the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the city covered an area of eight square kilometers. Taiyuan, also called Jinyang, first emerged in 497 BC and was destroyed in 979. It was later rebuilt during the North Song Dynasty (960-1127). 

2003/03/20
Source: Eastday.com