With a length of 45.5 metres, a height of 8 metres and a thickness of 2.02 metres, it is the oldest and largest surviving glazed nine-dragon wall in China, even three times the size of the one in Beijing’s Beihai Park. The wall is constructed from 426 custom-fired coloured glazed bricks. Its base is a sturdy Sumeru pedestal (2.09 metres high) adorned with 41 sets of double-dragon playing with pearls carvings; the waist section has 75 glazed brick reliefs of livestock and wild animals.
The main wall features nine vivid, dynamically posed dragons in varied colours (centred by a golden dragon), set against green waves and blue-yellow clouds. These dragons are a masterwork of early Ming glazed art, symbolising imperial dignity and prosperity. Having stood for over 600 years, it was inscribed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 2001. It is now a free-to-visit cultural landmark in Datong Ancient City.