Shenyang Fujin Gate

Shenyang Fujin Gate

Fujin Gate, commonly known as "Dadongmen" (Great East Gate), was one of the nine gates of Shenyang City during the Qing Dynasty. It was built between the first and fifth years of the Tiancong era (1627–1631 AD) and was later demolished.

Fujin Gate was reconstructed in 1998 and is situated in the eastern section of Shengjing Ancient Culture Street, facing Huaiyuan Gate to the west. It stands 20 meters high, covers a land area of 556 square meters, and has a construction area of 500 square meters, making it an iconic landmark of Shenyang. During the Ming Dynasty, Shengjing had four main gates. After Hong Taiji took control of Shengjing, these were expanded to eight. There’s an interesting story about the architectural layout of Shengjing’s city during the Qing Dynasty: it was planned according to the principles of the I Ching (Book of Changes), specifically the concept that “the Tao produces two elements, the two elements produce four phenomena, the four phenomena produce the eight trigrams, and the eight trigrams correspond to the nine palaces.” These eight trigrams refer to the eight city gates of Shengjing. To the east, the left gate was Neizhi Gate (Small East Gate), and the right was Fujin Gate (Great East Gate); to the south, the left was Desheng Gate (Great South Gate), and the right was Tianyou Gate (Small South Gate); to the west, the left was Huaiyuan Gate (Great West Gate), and the right was Wa rang Gate (Small West Gate); to the north, the left was Dizai Gate (Small North Gate), and the right was Fusheng Gate (Great North Gate).

The eight gates were positioned opposite one another: Tianyou faced Dizai, Desheng faced Fusheng, Neizhi faced Wa rang, and Fujin faced Huaiyuan. The symbolic meanings behind their names are profound. Over time, with the passage of history, most of the eight gates of Shengjing have disappeared, leaving only place names behind, except for Huaiyuan Gate and Fujin Gate. Fujin means “to pacify and welcome neighbors.” In those days, when other ethnic minorities entered Shenyang to pay homage to Hong Taiji, they would pass through Fujin Gate, which thus served a certain ceremonial function. Additionally, Fujin Gate is located due east of the ancient city—the direction where the sun rises—carrying the auspicious symbolism of “purple air coming from the east.”

Address: Near the Dadong Human Resources Market, Shenhe District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province

Transportation: Within Shenyang City, you can take bus routes such as 298, 215, 273, 105, 131, 168 South Line, 218, 248, 132, 133, 251, K802, 258, 296, Tourist Sightseeing Route 1, 116, 230, 384, 385, 386, 168 North Line, 113, 117, 150, 179, 219 Section, 140, 222, 228, 290, 222 Double Line, 118, 151, 173, 237, 134, 292, 250, 259, 286, 227 to reach the site.