Yizhou Wei Antai Gate

The Antai Gate of Yizhou Wei

The Antai Gate of Yizhou Wei, an ancient city from the Ming Dynasty (Yizhou Wei), was originally built in 1426 AD and has a history of nearly 600 years. It is the only remaining one of the four ancient city gates of Yixian County and serves as a landmark structure rich in historical and cultural value, embodying the distinctive features of ancient city architecture.

As a landmark structure rich in historical and cultural value and featuring the characteristics of ancient city architecture, the Antai Gate of Yizhou Wei was listed as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit in 2014. The ancient city, constructed between the 22nd year of the Hongwu reign (1389 AD) and the first year of the Xuande reign (1426 AD) of the Ming Dynasty, faces south and is square-shaped, with city walls stretching over 5,000 meters in circumference. The walls stand more than 9 meters high, with a base width of 5.9 meters and a top width of 3.9 meters. The city wall had four gates: Xichun in the east, Yongqing in the south, Qingfeng in the west, and Antai in the north. Each gate was topped with a two-story tower, and surrounded by a barbican and crescent-shaped wall. Each inner side of the gate had a ramp for horses to ascend the wall. The original crescent wall and double-layered iron-clad gate of the Antai Gate have been destroyed and no longer exist, leaving only a single damaged gate arch.