 Qian Men, Beijing
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About Qian Men
Zhengyang Men, Beijing
Author: Saad Akhtar (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Qian Men, or Front Gates, are the two medieval gates on the southern part of Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
Zhengyang Men, or Gate Facing the Sun, is located at the southern edge of Tiananmen Square. It is the most imposing of the nine gates of medieval Beijing that separated the Forbidden City from the rest of the city.
Zhengyang Men is 131 feet (40 meters) tall. Today it houses a museum of the history of Beijing. Exhibited here are dioramas of the old city walls and photographs of the old city streets.
The Jian Lou, or Arrow Tower, is slightly shorter than Zhengyang Men, at 125-feet / 38-meters. Originally built in 1439, Jian Lou has 94 windows. Its purpose is for defence. Soldiers can shoot arrows from this tower at any possible intruders.
Both the Zhengyang Men and Jian Lou were badly damaged during the Boxer Rebellion. In 1916, the wall connecting these two towers were demolished.
Jian Lou is not open to the public, and can only be viewed from the outside. Zhengyang Men is open from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm daily.
How to get to Qian Men
Take the Metro to the Qian Men station.
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