www.publicartinchicago.com:
The Nine Dragon Wall is a shortened version of a famous glazed tile wall in Beijing's Forbidden City. It is one of the only three such replicas outside of China.
The marker reads: The Nine Dragon Wall in Chicago's Chinatown There are three existing ancient Nine Dragon Walls in China. They are located in Datong, Shanxi Province and Beijing. The Nine Dragon Walls are originated from the Screen Walls in ancient Chinese architecture.
Ancient Chinese believed 9 to be the most prestigious number and dragon to be the soul of all things of creation. The Chinese people consider Dragon as the emblem of Chinese national spirit. Ancient Chinese emperoros were even self-acclaimed as reincarnation of dragons. The emperors of Ming and Qing dynasty built the Nine Dragon Walls to show off the supremacy of the emperial power.
The Chicago's Chinatowns Nine Dragon Wall is the resemblence of the one in Beihai Park in Beijing. The magnificient Nine Dragon Wall is an excellent piece of traditional Chinese architecture. The nine bustling dragons vividly portray the self-striving character of the Chinese all over the world.
The tiles were made in China and construction was by specialists from that country.
Sponsored by the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce.