Major urban renovation restores Xi'an's ancient moat

The comprehensive renovation project (phase II) in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, marked a historic milestone recently as the railway station section of the ancient moat was officially refilled with water.

With the 859-meter culvert now restored, the entire 14.6-kilometer moat system — first dug in the late Tang Dynasty (618–907) — has been fully reconnected.

This revitalized segment flows between two nationally protected cultural heritage sites: the Xi'an City Wall and the Daming Palace. Prior to the renovation, the culvert was severely silted, with sediment averaging 1.2 meters in depth and reaching over 1.5 meters at its deepest points. Each rainy season, the channel would overflow with a mix of river water, storm runoff, and sewage.