Meridian Gate

The Meridian Gate is the main southern entrance to the Forbidden City and the tallest gate of the whole palace complex. It was built in 1420, and the building took its present appearance after a rebuilding in the middle of the seventeenth century. The base in the form of a horseshoe embraces a courtyard on three sides, and above it stand five pavilions with yellow tiled roofs, on account of which the gate was nicknamed the five-phoenix tower. Under the empire only the sovereign himself had the right to ride through the central opening, while officials and examination candidates used the side ones. Today the entrance to the Palace Museum passes through the Meridian Gate, and temporary exhibitions are held in its upper halls.

On the map