
The Zhengyangmen in Beijing

The Qianmen archery tower in Beijing
The 'Qianmen' () is the common name for the gateway known formally as 'Zhengyangmen' (;
Manchu: Tob šun i duka). It is a gate in
Beijing,
China. It stands at the south end of the
Tiananmen Square precinct, and was formerly the front gate of the Imperial City, a part of the ancient city of
Beijing.
First built in
1419, the gateway consisted of a gatehouse proper and an archery tower, which forms a large
barbican. Today the archery tower and the gatehouse survive - though not in the form originally built. The present gates date from
1914 and incorporate modern design elements suggested by German advisors. At 42 metres high, the gatehouse was, and is, the tallest among all of the gates of Beijing.
After the Communist victory in
1949, the gate complex was occupied by the
Beijing garrison of the
People's Liberation Army. The military vacated the gate in
1980.
Behind (that is, to the North of) the Qianmen once stood the
Gate of China, followed by the present
Tiananmen, and the
Meridian Gate, which is the front entrance to the
Forbidden City.
Because of its grandeur and unique design, the Qianmen was long seen as the symbol of old Beijing.