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Zhonghua Gate

Zhonghua GateZhonghua(means Chinese) Gate is the south gate of Nanjing City. It is a cultural relic left by ancient China. The style of Zhonghua Gate is double distinction of being the biggest castle-style city gate in China and most conplicated castle in the world.

It spends 21 years(1366-1387) for the construction for the Zhonghua Gate. There is a legend about this gate-the gate formerly called 'Gate of Gathering Treasure' carries. When the gate built by the first emperor of Ming Tomb, Zhuyuanzhang. The gate collapsed many times. And the emperor order to bury a treasure bowl under the gate. From the bury of the treasure bowl, the gate stood firm. The gate renamed Zhonghua Gate in 1931 in the sake of commemorate the 1911's revolution.

Nanjing is the capital of the early time of Ming Dynasty under the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. (The son of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di, moved the capital to Beijing in 1420.) Zhu Yuanzhang built a city wall around Nanjing for sakeguard. Zhonghua Gate was built at the basis of the previous gate, the south gate of the city built in later Tang Dynasty(923-936).

Zhonghua Gate we visit now is the one left by Ming Dynasty. And the tourisits could know many knowledges with Chinese architecture from this building.