Yifeng gate

Yifeng gate

Yifeng gate, also known as Xingzhong gate, is one of the thirteen gates of Ming Dynasty Capital in Nanjing city wall. It is located between the south foot of Shizishan and Xiuqiu mountain in Xiaguan, Gulou District, Nanjing city. It faces the East and faces the West. It is built on the back of Zhongfu gate in less than one kilometer. It looks like a dragon and a Phoenix. Now it is an important part of Yuejianglou scenic spot.

Yifeng gate used to be a single hole gate with a gate ticket. Its two walls were built according to the mountain. It was surrounded by Shizishan in the north and Xiuqiu mountain in the south. The gate was built between the two depressions. There were two water caves under the city. The military position was very important. After reconstruction, the Yifeng gate was changed into a three hole city gate for convenient transportation. One hole in the middle was slightly larger than the fast lane, and two holes on both sides were slightly smaller than the slow lane.

Yifeng gate was built in the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. It was named Yifeng gate because of the meaning of fenglaiyi. It was built opposite to Zhongfu gate and has the shape of dragon and Phoenix. In 1931, the national government changed yifengmen to xingzhongmen, which means to revitalize China. From 1958 to 1959, the movement of demolishing the city spread to Nanjing. Yifeng gate was demolished, but the walls on both sides were well preserved. In 2006, Yifeng gate was rebuilt and the walls on both sides were reconnected. In November 2012, Nanjing, as the leading city of the project of "Chinese Ming and Qing city walls", the Nanjing Ming city wall where yifengmen is located was included in the preparatory list of China's world cultural heritage.

Historical evolution

In the early years of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, Yifeng gate was built. Because of the auspicious terrain (Fengshui) at the foot of Lulong mountain, there are two gates, Zhongfu gate (to the East) and Yifeng gate (to the West). Because it is located on the South Bank of the Yangtze River, at the foot of Lulong mountain, yifengmen is the main road to enter Nanjing city. In the early Ming Dynasty, Nanjing planned the northern area of the city as juntun District, and its military position was very important. According to historical records, when Zhu Yuanzhang built the gate, he ordered that the people should not be served. Therefore, the gate was built by the Nanjing garrison itself.

During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, due to the shortage of garrison forces in Nanjing, Yifeng gate and Zhongfu gate were blocked.

In 1659, Liang Huafeng opened the two gates of Yifeng and Shence, and Zheng Chenggong's army, who sent troops to attack the besieged city, won the victory. After that, Yifeng gate was rebuilt. In the Qing Dynasty, Yifeng gate was a single hole gate with a two-story archery tower.

In June of the 16th year of Shunzhi (1659) of the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Chenggong, a famous general of the Southern Ming Dynasty who fought against the Qing Dynasty, entered the Yangtze River from Chongming July, Zhibo Jinling. On the one hand, Lang qianzuo, the governor of Liangjiang in the Qing army, asked for help everywhere, and on the other hand, he took the strategy of delaying the war to paralyze Zheng Chenggong's headquarters. As a result, Zheng's "camp was not in order, and the troops came out everywhere, and the soldiers frolicked in the back Lake (now Xuanwu Lake)". Liang Huafeng, the commander in chief of the Qing army who came all the way from Chongming to reinforce the city defense of Jiangning, found this situation on the wall of Shence gate. Then he quietly removed the blockage of Shence gate and Yifeng gate, and "led the way to ride five hundred horses, go out of Shence gate at night, smash Baitu mountain first, and break one of his battalions.". After that, Liang Huafeng divided the whole city's garrison into four routes: one of them went out of Yifeng gate, cut off the contact between Zheng's army and the army, and attacked Zheng's ships. As a result, Zheng's army "collapsed" and lost more than 500 seagoing ships, while Zheng Chenggong only took a few people to return to Xiamen by ship.

In the third year of Xianfeng (1853) of the Qing Dynasty, general Lin Fengxiang of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom directed the excavation of the tunnel leading to yifengmen, and used mines to blast open the wall near yifengmen, directly attacking the governor's Yamen of Liangjiang and conquering Nanjing.

In 1895, Zhang Zhidong, then governor of Liangjiang, presided over the construction of Jiangning Road with the governor's Yamen as the center. To the north, from Yifeng gate to Xiaguan, the first modern road in Nanjing was paved under Yifeng gate.

In 1921, the national government built yijiangmen, and the status of yifengmen declined significantly.

In 1931, the Nationalist government changed yifengmen to xingzhongmen, in order to revitalize China. Tan Yankai, the former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, inscribed the gate number for xingzhongmen.

From 1958 to 1959, the movement of demolishing the city spread to Nanjing. Yifeng gate was demolished, but the walls on both sides were well preserved.

In 2006, the Nanjing Municipal People's Government rebuilt the Yifeng gate as a three hole arch.

In November 2012, Nanjing, as the leading city of the project of "Chinese Ming and Qing city walls", the Nanjing Ming city wall where yifengmen is located was included in the preparatory list of China's world cultural heritage.

Layout structure

Yifeng gate was the main road leading to the Yangtze River in the north of Nanjing city. It was an important gate for the imperial court to cross the river. At that time, officials went to this gate when they went north and went to war. In case of victory, people nearby would set up a grand ceremony to welcome the victorious soldiers.

In the old days, it was a single hole gate with a gate ticket. The walls on both sides of the gate were built according to the mountain. The lion mountain was on the north side, and the Xiuqiu mountain was on the south side. The gate was built between the two depressions. There were two water caves under the city, so the military position was very important. After reconstruction, the Yifeng gate was changed into a three hole city gate for convenient transportation. One hole in the middle was slightly larger than the fast lane, and two holes on both sides were slightly smaller than the slow lane.

Related gates

Address: Yuejianglou scenic spot, 202 Jianning Road, Gulou District, Nanjing

Longitude: 118.74741156212

Latitude: 32.091820961772

Chinese PinYin : Yi Feng Men