PhotosLocation


Gate_of_Divine_Prowess Latitude and Longitude:

39°55′15.4″N 116°23′25.5″E / 39.920944°N 116.390417°E / 39.920944; 116.390417
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gate of Divine Prowess
神武门
The Gate of Divine Might, the northern gate. The lower tablet reads "The Palace Museum" ( 故宮 博物院)
Former namesBlack Tortoise Gate
Alternative namesGate of Divine Might
General information
Type Gate
Location Forbidden City
Town or city Beijing
Country China
Coordinates 39°55′15.4″N 116°23′25.5″E / 39.920944°N 116.390417°E / 39.920944; 116.390417
Opened1420

The Gate of Divine Might or Gate of Divine Prowess ( simplified Chinese: 神武门; traditional Chinese: 神武門; pinyin: Shénwǔmén, Manchu: ᡧᡝᠨ

ᠮᡝᠨ
šen u men) is the northern gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. [1]

History

Gate of Divine Might and moat

The gate was built in 1420, during the 18th year of Yongle Emperor's reign. [1] The Gate was originally named " Black Tortoise Gate" (玄武門; Xuánwǔmén), but when Qing Dynasty's Kangxi Emperor, whose birth name was Xuanye ( ), ascended to the throne, the use of the Chinese character Xuan () became a form of naming taboo. [1]

The gate is the back gate of the palace, [1] and was used by palace workers. [1] Women being sent into the palace for selection as concubines also entered the palace through this gate. [1]

It is important to note that the Xuanwu Gate Incident, while sharing a similar name with this gate's original name, did not take place at this gate. The palace coup happened during the Tang Dynasty, when the capital was in Chang'an.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Zhu, Qingzheng. 神武门 [Gate of Divine Might]. The Palace Museum (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 5 June 2018.

External links