The Ancient City Wall of Datong has beared significant strategic importance since ancient times, particularly since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Therefore, countries at that time took the city defense construction very seriously. The city's military history specifically includes a history of city defense.

The city wall was built as a clay building by the Northern Wei state (386-534) during the Southern and Northern Dynasties(420-589). Its layout has changed during four dynasties of Tang, Liao, Jin, Yuan, and finally settled to what it is seen today in the Ming Dynasty.

During the fifth year of Hongwu (1368-1398), General Xu Da enlarged the clay wall, covering an area of 2.63 square kilometers.

It is tall and majestic, solid and steep. The base was made from stone strips, slates and blue bricks. Materials were classified by size, which were selected and used according to different parts.

 The wall is 14 meters high and 16.6 meters at its widest point. Outside the four main gates are bulwarks, and beyond them stand an arc-shaped defense wall. Above are watchtowers there are 580-plus buttresses around the wall, representing the number of villages under the jurisdiction of Datong. On the wall are 62 majestic gatehouses, turrets and watchtowers.

The three-storey South Gate Tower is a typical wood-framed building of Northern China in the early Ming Dynasty, same as the West Gate Tower.

At the wall corners stand four exquisite turrets. Among them, the most magnificent is the Northwest one. Between the gatehouse and the turret are 54 watchtowers.

Trenches or a moat encircles the outside of the outer wall for what was a defense strategy. It is 5 meters deep and 10 meters wide.

According to a statistics in 2005, the remaining loam wall was about 4,000 meters long, accounting for 55 percent of the original length, and the bulwarks outside the gates have all gone.

 Fortunately, the outline of the wall remains with strong traditional features. In order to rescue and protect this historical and cultural heritage, Datong government carried out a restoration project in April 2008.

The recovery of the East Wall has been completed in December 2009, including one gatehouse, two turrets, 12 watchtower, one embrasure watchtower and two command towers.

The large-scale recovery of the South Wall and the North Wall have been completed in 2010.