Zhonghua Gate, also known as the Gate of China, is the best-preserved and most
complex fortification structure of the Nanjing City Wall, originally
constructed during the early Ming Dynasty in the 14th century.
Located in the southern part of the city, it was once the main entrance to the
imperial capital and is renowned for its massive scale and ingenious defensive
engineering. The structure consists of three consecutive courtyards protected
by four massive, iron-sheathed wooden gates, designed to trap invading enemies
in a confined space where they could be attacked from all sides by soldiers
stationed on the surrounding ramparts.
Beyond its military function, the gate serves as a profound historical
landmark that reflects the architectural mastery of the Ming era. Built using
a sophisticated mixture of lime, glutinous rice water, and tung oil, the
bricks have remained remarkably resilient over the centuries. Today, it stands
as a significant cultural heritage site, offering visitors the opportunity to
walk atop the expansive city walls and explore the interior tunnels, which
include vaulted rooms that were historically used for storing weapons,
provisions, and housing garrisoned troops.
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Nanjing City Wall and Zhonghua Gate Map
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Nanjing City Wall Information
«Nanjing City Wall, built in 1366, is the city wall dating back to Ming
Dynasty. It took 28 years to complete. The city wall consists of four
parts including Palace City Wall, Royal City Wall, Capital City Wall and
Outermost City Wall from the inside. The outermost city Wall was built
with a length of 60 kilometers, and the capital city wall reaches 33.676
kilometers, which marks the longest brick city wall in the world.
Nanjing City Wall with 13 gates and 2 large water gates, 13,616 crenels
and 200 shacks is the masterpiece of ancient military defense facilities
and wall building techniques in China.
Nanjing City Wall was built near the beautiful landscape according to
the local conditions in non-round and non-square irregular shape. Even
after over six hundred years, the great city wall still ranks top among
world's city walls with 25.091 km of remains. In 2012, the Nanjing City
Wall as the leading city in "China's Ming and Qing City Wall" project
was included in the tentative list of China's world cultural heritage.
In 2014, the Nanjing City Wall was fully open to the outside world and
the vast majority of the remaining can be toured on the wall.»
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Zhonghua Gate
«Located in the south of Nanjing, Zhonghua Gate was rebuilt in the early
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on the basis of the South Gate of the capital
city (Jinling) from the Southern Tang Dynasty (937-975) to the Song
(960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. Facing Jubao Mountain, it was
originally named Jubao (treasure) Gate. In 1928, it was renamed Zhonghua
Gate which is still in use today. The characters "Zhonghuamen" on the
gate's plaque was inscribed by Chiang Kai-shek. The gate lies on the
vital passage in the southern part of the city, in front of the Inner
Qinhuai River and behind the Outer Qinhuai River, with Changgan Bridge
and Zhenhuai Bridge connecting the city to the outside. This area was
also the residential and commercial centre of Nanjing in the Ming
Dynasty.
Going through a history of more than 650 years, Zhonghua Gate remains
almost intact in its masonry, except for the destruction of the wooden
tower and the double wooden gate. From the perspective of architecture,
Zhonghua Gate is magnificent, complex and ingeniously designed, playing
an indispensable role in the history of ancient China's fortification.
From the military point of view, its solid fortification functions well,
which is an important physical material for studying China's ancient
military history. In 1957, Zhonghua Gate was listed as a cultural relic
site under the protection of Jiangsu Province. In 1988, it entered the
protection list at national level.»
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Qianjin Orgues
«There are three barbakans inside and four
arched gates, each with an orgue that can be opened up and down, also
known as “Qianjin Orgues". The orgues are important for defence. They
can be lowered quickly once enemies break into the barbakans, to prevent
them from entering and cut off the retreat. Together with soldier cave
shelters, the orgues can aid defenders in annihilating enemies
effectively. Today, the orgues no longer exist, but the stone grooves
(about 20 cm wide and 18 cm deep) remain on top of the gates, running up
and down. The "Jiaoguan" stones are set to control the opening and
closing of the gate. At the southern end of the soldier cave shelters
directly above the first gate, there is a pair of "Jiaoguan" stones on
the east and west walls respectively, around 130 cm high and 50-70 cm
wide, with a circular hole on the top.»
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Cannons of the Ming Dynasty
«For consolidating the regime
and resisting the foreign invasion, cannons had been extensively used in
military affairs in the Ming Dynasty, which were enormous in power,
strong in lethality but relatively bulky. The cannons displayed now are
imitations of the iron cannons left over from the Ming Dynasty.»
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Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing,
also known as the Temple of Gratitude Pagoda, was a world-renowned
architectural masterpiece constructed during the early Ming Dynasty
under the order of the Yongle Emperor.
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Completed in the early 15th century, the nine-story structure was
celebrated for its stunning exterior, which was clad in white
porcelain bricks that shimmered during the day and were illuminated by
over a hundred lamps at night. It stood as one of the tallest
structures in East Asia at the time, serving as a testament to the
artistic sophistication and immense wealth of the Ming era until it
was largely destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion in the mid-19th
century.
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Beyond its physical beauty, the tower held significant religious and
cultural importance as a center of Buddhist devotion and imperial
legacy. It was built to honor the Empress Ma, the mother of the Yongle
Emperor, and featured intricate carvings, glazed tiles, and golden
decorations that made it a marvel frequently described by early
European travelers as a wonder of the world. While the original
structure no longer stands, the site has since been reconstructed into
a modern park and museum, which preserves the archaeological remains
and commemorates the tower's historical status as a symbol of
Nanjing's heritage.
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Changganli
«Changganli, extending from the south of Inner
Qinhuai River in Qinhuai District, Nanjing, to the north of Yuhuatai, is
the name of a famous place in ancient China and a Buddhist holy land in
the south of the Yangtze River, known as the "Buddha's Place". As early
as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period,
Changganli was the most densely populated area in Nanjing and the
economic lifeblood for development of the region. During the Qin, Han
and Six Dynasties, Changganli was one of the busiest places in Nanjing
as well as a famous business zone and goods distribution center. Many
poems were written in ancient times to describe the life, love stories
and customs in Changganli.»
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Bat Stone Relief
In Chinese culture, the bat is a prominent
symbol of good fortune and happiness because the Chinese word for "bat"
(fu) is a homophone for the word "blessings" or "good fortune."
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This linguistic connection makes the bat an auspicious emblem
frequently incorporated into architecture, art, and decorative
carvings to attract positive energy and prosperity to a site. As seen
in the stone relief, the bat is stylized with its wings spread wide,
transforming it into an elegant ornamental motif that serves as both a
decorative element and a protective talisman for the structure.
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Beyond representing general good luck, the specific design featured
combines the bat with depictions of ancient Chinese coins. This
pairing is highly intentional, as it creates a visual pun that
translates to "blessings before your eyes" or "good fortune arriving."
By integrating these symbols into the masonry of the Zhonghua Gate,
the builders sought to imbue the fortification not just with physical
strength, but with a symbolic promise of enduring wealth, prosperity,
and auspicious blessings for all who passed through its gates.
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Zhu Yuanzhang and Shen Wansan
This two bronze statues depict
Zhu Yuanzhang (the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty) and Shen Wansan
(a legendary wealthy merchant).
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These statues, located within the Zhonghua Gate (formerly known as
Jubao Gate) area, commemorate the folklore surrounding the
construction of the Nanjing City Wall. According to local legend,
Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang required massive funding to build the city walls
and sought the assistance of the famously wealthy Shen Wansan.
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The story goes that Shen Wansan possessed a "cornucopia" or "treasure
bowl" (known in Chinese as Jubao Pen), which allowed him to provide
the necessary funds for the project, leading the gate to be originally
named Jubao Gate, or "Treasure-Gathering Gate."
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Zhu Yuanzhang
Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–1398), also known by his
temple name Taizu, was the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty in
China.
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Born into a destitute peasant family in Anhui province, his early life
was marked by extreme poverty, famine, and the loss of his family to
disease, which eventually led him to live as a wandering monk and
beggar. Amidst the chaos of the declining Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty, he
joined the Red Turban Rebellion, where his military brilliance and
tactical leadership allowed him to rise rapidly through the ranks,
eventually becoming the leader of the insurgent movement.
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After successfully driving the Mongols out of China and capturing the
Yuan capital of Dadu, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed the Ming Dynasty in
1368 and established Nanjing as his capital. His reign was
characterized by a push to restore traditional Chinese culture, the
implementation of rigorous land reforms, and the centralization of
autocratic power to prevent the resurgence of warlordism. Although his
policies were often heavy-handed and included extensive purges of his
officials, he is credited with stabilizing the country, rebuilding its
infrastructure, and initiating an era of significant economic recovery
and cultural consolidation that defined the Ming period.
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Shen Wansan
Shen Wansan was a legendary merchant who lived
during the transition from the late Yuan Dynasty to the early Ming
Dynasty, historically recognized as one of the wealthiest individuals in
Chinese history.
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He rose to prominence in the region of Zhouzhuang, accumulating vast
riches through international trade and agricultural investments, which
reportedly allowed him to amass a fortune that rivaled that of the
state. Folklore often attributes his immense wealth to supernatural
means, specifically the possession of a "treasure bowl" (Jubao Pen)
that could magically multiply any gold or silver placed inside it.
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His relationship with the Ming founder, Zhu Yuanzhang, serves as a
central theme in many historical anecdotes and local legends,
particularly concerning the financing of public infrastructure
projects like the Nanjing City Wall. These stories frequently
highlight the tension between his massive private wealth and the
absolute power of the emperor, illustrating the traditional Chinese
trope of a merchant whose economic success ultimately led to his
downfall or exile under imperial suspicion. Despite the blurring of
historical fact and mythology, Shen Wansan remains a cultural icon
representing both the immense potential of commercial enterprise and
the inherent risks of wealth accumulation in a highly centralized
political system.
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