There are three nine-dragon walls in China. The biggest and oldest one, located in Datong, Shanxi, was built in Liao Dynasty (916~1125 A.D); the most sophisticated and beautiful one is the one in the Beihai (North Sea) Park in Beijing; the third one is in front of the Ningyong Gate in the former Imperial Palace.
The main body of the wall was engraved with nine huge dragons. Each dragon is playing with a jewelry ball, each with different unique appearance. The dragons were painted with different colors with three dimension visual appearance and were handcrafted with highest skill of workmanship. It is truly the most beautiful piece of art.
There is a rumor about the wall in the Imperial Palace. When the wall was being constructed, there is a glass piece broken at the stomach of the third white dragon. The carpenter bribed the inspector so that he can replace it with a wooden piece. When completed, even the Emperor did not find out the flaw, otherwise the carpenter would be executed for "lying to the Emperor".
P.S. In Chinese culture, both "nine" and "dragon" are symbols of the Emperor
The Nine Dragon Wall in Beijing appears on the following banknote(s):
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