A gateway to the history of Beijing – Zhengyangmen Museum
- By Brian Salter
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E-mail China Today, February 14, 2017
The Other Eight Gates of the Inner City
• Deshengmen: literally “Gate of Virtuous Triumph” – and is homophonous with “achieving victory”; so troops would go through this gate on the way to an expedition.
• Andingmen: “Peace and pacification” – was the gate armies would take when returning from the battlefield when the war was over and the country was peaceful. Beijing’s main manure storage fields were located near the Temple of Earth, so most dung carts also accessed this gate.
• Dongzhimen: also called “Wood Gate,” because bricks and wood needed by people inside the city were mainly brought through this gate.
• Chaoyangmen: also known as “Grain Gate,” was the main route taken for transporting grain.
• Chongwenmen: also known as “Tax Gate,” was where a customs station was set up.
• Xuanwumen: also called “Prisoner Gate,” was the only gate through which condemned criminals were sent for execution in the Qing dynasty.
• Fuchengmen: was used for transporting coal into the city.
• Xizhimen: was used for transporting water to the imperial palace in both the Ming and Qing dyansties.
BRIAN SALTER is a broadcaster and journalist who has been working in China for the past five years.
Photos courtesy of Brian Salter
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