24 Hours Hotline: +86 137-3541-1378
+86 157-0009-4881
Email:

Your Location: Home > Nanjing Attractions > Zhonghua Gate

Zhonghua Gate

zhonghua_gate.jpg
Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing Attractions

Brief Introduction

Zhonghua Gate (Chinese Gate) is the south gate of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. A precious cultural relic, Zhonghua Gate has the double distinction of being the biggest castle-style city gate in China and a structural element of the most complicated castle in the world. It is the castle's magnificent scale, delicate structure, and the great skill with which it was built that bequeath it an important place in China's military and architectural traditions.

Construction

Accordingly to the history, it takes 22 years to built castle, Zhonghua Gate originally called the 'Gate of Gathering Treasure' carries a legend from the time of its creation in the early Ming Dynasty. According to the legend, when Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), had the gate built, the ground kept sinking. The gate collapsed again and again. It was not until a treasure bowl was buried under the gate that it stood firm. In 1931, to commemorate the revolution of 1911 and the Republic of China (1919-1949) that emerged as a result, the Gate of Gathering Treasure was renamed Zhonghua Gate. In Chinese Pinyin, Republic of China is written as Zhonghua Minguo. At the top step, there used to be a wooden building to defend against the enemy. The middle step was built of brick and stone. It was 65.15 m long, 47.20 m wide and 9.00 m high. In the north section of it were constructed 7 soldier staying holes. In the middle of the lower step was constructed an arched gate leading to barbican. It was 52.60 m long, 5.35 m wide and 8.7 m high. At the north section of it were built 3 soldier staying holes. Erdaomen (the second gate) was 16.14 m away from Toudaomen. Its hole was 8.20 m long, 4.97 m wide and 8.10 m high. The hole of Sandaomen (the third gate) 15.18 m away from Erdaomen was 8.32 m long, 4.82 m wide and 8.1 m high. Sidaomen (the fourth gate) was 19.3 m away from Sandaomen. Its hole was 8.8 m long, 4.8 m wide and 8.1 m high. At the outerside of the east and west of barbican were constructed 14 soldier staying holes (7 facing to the east 7 facing to the west). There are 27 soldier staying holes altogether in all the barbican and two paved ramps by which mounted troops can ride to the top.

zhonghua_gate1.jpg

Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of Ming Dynasty, made Nanjing as the capital. For security, Zhu Yuanzhang began to build a wall around the city of Nanjing to defend it from attack in 1366. The Gate of Gathering Treasure (Zhonghua Gate) was built on the site of a previous gate, the south gate of the city built during the Later Tang Dynasty (923 - 936). The new gate, the grandest among the thirteen gates of the new castle, was an architecturally complex structure composed of three closed courtyards and four arched doors serving as the entrance. There were double paneled wooden doors and with additional stone door set behind. If the enemy broke through the wooden doors, they could be separated and trapped in the three closed courtyards upon dropping the stone doors.

In the Zhonghua Gate, there are Twenty-seven tunnels that were built in the castle to store large quantities of food and weapons and to hold approximately 3000 soldiers. Wide and steep ramps were built on the east and west side to allow people to carry materials upward. The entire structure was built with massive bricks mortared together with special cement made from lime, sticky rice juice and tung oil. In order to guarantee the quality of the construction, every brick underwent a strict quality control process. The brick makers and builders were ordered to mark their names on each brick. Even today, it is possible to find Chinese characters and numbers on the bricks. 

zhonghua_gate2.jpg

The Zhonghua Gate has the history of around 600 years and still holds its original state except the wooden part. It is rare in the world for its bast scale and sophisticated style. No doubt, this detailed attention to quality of construction is one of the reasons why the condition of the castle remains so remarkably good today. 

Travel Guide

Admission Fee: CNY 50
Opening Hours: 8:30-20:00
Address:  Zhonghua Gate, Qinhuai District, Nanjing
Recommended Time for Visit: 1 hour

How to get to Zhonghua Gate

Bus route: take bus No. 33, 16, 701, 202, 2 and get off Zhonghuamen (Zhonghua Gate) stop
Metro route: take metro line 1 and get off at Zhonghua Gate station

Questions & Answers or Review
* Full Name
* E-mail
* Title of your review
* Your review
 

The following Nanjing Private Tours may also interest you!

One Day Nanjing Highlights Private Tour From Suzhou

Duration:6-8 hours

Attractions(Cities):Nanjing Massacre Museum, Presidential Palace, Confucius Temple

Tour Style:Discover the brilliant Chinese history and culture by booking a One Day Nanjing Highlights Tour From Suzhou without any hassles of arranging transportation and planning the tour itinerary. This is a flexible and private tour that allows you to explore the must-sees of Nanjing, highlights are Massacre Museum, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Presidential Palace and much more. You'll get a comprehensive information about the city of Nanjing and ancient China with your knowledgeable guide.

View Details
From $89 p/p
Full-Day Authentic Nanjing City Tour

Duration:6-8 hours

Attractions(Cities):Sun Yet-Sen Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, Lingu Temple, Confucious Temple

Tour Style:Make the most of your time to get a unique travel experience in Nanjing on a full-day Nanjing tour. Served as the capital city of ancient China, Nanjing is endowed with profound history and cultural sites. With your knowledgeable and historical guide, you'll visit the Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum, marvel at the Presidential Palace, explore Lingu Temple and follow in the paths of emperors on a Qinhuai River cruise nearby confucius Temple. It is a perfect private designed tour to lead you to uncover the rich history of Nanjing with private city transfer.

View Details
From $75 p/p
2 Days Private Nanjing Highlights Tour

Duration:2 Days, 1 Nights

Attractions(Cities):Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, Linggu Temple, Zijinshan Mountain, Meiling Palace, Presidential Palace, Ming City Wall, Confucius Temple

Tour Style:No trip to China is complete without experiencing the history and culture of Nanjing. Join our 2-Days Private Nanjing Highlights Tour to explore the city of Nanjing, a museum of Chinese history. It is a hassle-free tour package, accompanied by your local expert guide, immerse yourself in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Mausoleum, marvel at the ancient Ming City Wall, absorb the charming view of Zijinshan Mountian, and walk down the picturesque Qinhuan River near Confucius Temple. Hotel or train station pickup & drop-off is included.

View Details
From $115 p/p
All Inclusive Nanjing Day Trip From Shanghai by Bullet Train

Duration:11 hours

Attractions(Cities):Nanjing Massacre Museum, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, Confucius Temple

Tour Style:Take the stress out of booking round way bullet train tickets and get a comfortable way to explore the main highlights of Nanjing by booking our All Inclusive Nanjing Day Trip From Shanghai. It is a hassle-free tour that help you save hours researching city highlights by having a comprehensive itinerary organized for you. By air-conditioned vehicle, your knowldegable guide will take you to see more in a short time that you could't do it independently.

View Details
From $142 p/p
2-Day Nanjing Tour: Explore the Cultural & Historical City of Nanjing In Your Way

Duration:2 Days, 1 Night

Attractions(Cities):Linggu Temple, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing Massacre Museum, Presidential Palace, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Museum, Confucius Temple

Tour Style:Sink deep into Nanjing's turbylent past on a 2-day flexible and customizable tour. Nanjing is an ancient capital city that richs in historical and cultural relics. This 2-Day Nanjing tour is specially designed for history buffs, with your expert local guide, make the most of your time to visit the top attractions of Nanjing in your way. Round-trip transportation from Nanjing hotel or Nanjing train staton and in-depth guided commentary make this historical tour meaningful and educational.

View Details
From $162 p/p

Live Chat

Share to

Certificate of Excellence
2018

tripadvisor

China Private Tours-Day Tour

Certificate of Excellence
2017

tripadvisor

China Private Tours-Day Tour

Certificate of Excellence
2016

tripadvisor

China Private Tours-Day Tour

Your Idea of Your Trip
Adults:
(>11 years old)
Children:
(2 - 11 years old)
Babies:
(< 2 years old)
Date of trip
Hotel Class
Any specific requests/interests?
Contact Information

(Your Privacy is Protected)

Full Name: *
E-mail: *
Your Age: *
Nationality: *
Online Chat ID: *
Leave your online Chat ID here. We will get in touch with you within 10 minutes.
Submit

Tailor-Made

1 to 1 tailor-made service from our professional travel advisors for the most sophisticated

Authentic

Constantly excellent reviews for attraction, hotel and service Competitive price

Value Guarantee

Local experts provide quality tours Best selected knowledgeable local guides Authentic local restaurants

Stress-free Guaranteed

7*24 hours available to create you a worry-free tour. No Hidden Fees and absolutely no pressure to buy. Secured

Who choose us

Copyright © 2017 Suzhouprivatetour.com All rights reserved.  浙ICP备18056007号-4