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Heavy fog masked much of the half hour bus trip from Handan city in Hebei province to Guangfu ancient town.
Bridges on the river connect the town with the outside world.
It is a typical northern Chinese ancient town surrounded by an artificial river. Several newly rebuilt bridges span the river and connect the town with the outside world. The city wall stands ten meters tall on the other end of the bridges, showing authority and power which can't be violated.
The original wall was built in the Tang Dynasty with clay, and reinforced in the following years. The sturdiest part of the wall was made of sticky rice and lime in the Yuan Dynasty. It has withstood more than 800 years with minimal repair. With hundreds of years' weathering, most bricks have ragged edges from erosion. These old bricks have witnessed the transitions of the town for more than 1,000 years.
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