Zhengyangmen (Qianmen)
正阳门
Also known as Qianmen, the main gate of Beijing's Inner City in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its gate tower and arrow tower face each other north and south, and you can climb up for views of Tiananmen Square and Qianmen Street.
Zhengyangmen was first built in 1419, in the 17th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty. It is the largest of the nine gates of Beijing's Inner City. It consists of a gate tower and an arrow tower. Locals traditionally call it “Qianmen.” The gate tower stands more than 40 meters tall and is one of the best-preserved Beijing city gates. Inside the tower is an exhibition on the history of Beijing's city gates and Old Beijing customs. From the second-floor gallery, you can look north to the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong and Tiananmen Square, and south to the arrow tower and Qianmen Street. The arrow tower is open to the public after restoration and requires a separate ticket. Admission is about 10 to 20 yuan, with real-name booking. It closes on Mondays. It pairs well with Tiananmen Square, Qianmen Street, and Dashilar. Walk out of Qianmen Station on Subway Line 2.
Opening hours
Closed Mondays; approx. 9:00 am–4:30 pm (last entry 4:00 pm)
Nearby sights
- Mausoleum of Mao Zedong
- Lao She Teahouse
- Tiananmen Square
- National Museum of China
- Qianmen Street & Dashilar
- National Centre for the Performing Arts
- Zhongshan Park (Beijing)
- Imperial Ancestral Temple