Shenwu Gate

Shenwu Gate

Shenwu Gate is the northern gate of the Forbidden City and the main entrance to the Palace Museum. It was built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1420) and was called Xuanwu Gate at that time. Xuanwu is one of the Four Symbols in ancient Chinese mythology. In terms of cardinal directions, the Azure Dragon is on the left, the White Tiger on the right, the Vermilion Bird in front, and the Black Tortoise (Xuanwu) behind. Xuanwu governs the north, hence many imperial palaces named their north gates “Xuanwu.” During the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Shenwu Gate to avoid the naming taboo of Emperor Kangxi, whose personal name was Xuanye.

Shenwu Gate once had a bell and a drum, managed by the Imperial Guards and regulated by the Directorate of Astronomy. The bell would toll 108 times each evening after dusk, followed by the drum signaling the first watch. Thereafter, the bell and drum sounded for each watch until dawn, when the bell would toll again to announce sunrise. When the emperor resided inside the palace, the bell was not rung.

As the rear gate of the imperial palace, Shenwu Gate was an important checkpoint for daily access. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, empresses would enter and exit through this gate to perform the Silkworm Ceremony. During the Qing Dynasty, every three years, palace hopefuls entered through this side gate to be selected as imperial consorts. In 1924, when the deposed emperor Puyi was expelled from the palace, he also left through this gate. In 1925, when the Palace Museum was established, the plaque reading “Palace Museum” was hung here, and Shenwu Gate was designated as the museum’s main entrance.

The gate is 31 meters tall overall with a rectangular layout. Its base is made of white marble Sumeru pedestals. The gate tower is built atop the platform, featuring five bays in width and one in depth, surrounded by corridors and white marble railings. The front, rear, and side bays have diamond-patterned partition doors. The east and west gables have double-leaf plank doors, along with the city wall and horse paths on either side. Steps lead up to the gate from all sides. The tower has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, with single-knuckle, single-rising bracket sets on the lower level and double-knuckle, double-rising ones above. The roof is covered with yellow glazed tiles, with carved dragons along the ridges. The hall is adorned with vibrant paintings of celestial beings. The upper story houses a bell, while the lower features a drum. The eastern side room houses the ceremonial drum, and the western side room contains the ceremonial bell.

According to records such as "Yangji Zhai Conglu," in the Qing Dynasty, there were “three towers,” and the night was divided into five watches, also known as five nights or five drumbeats. Each watch was about two hours. At the start of each watch, drummers would beat the drum until the morning of the fifth watch, when the morning bell would sound—also 108 times. The bell and drum towers to the north of the gate operated similarly, hence the ancient saying “morning bells and evening drums.” According to "Chenyuan Shilue," during the Ming Dynasty, forty guard posts were set up around the Inner Imperial City, each manned by ten soldiers who guarded day and night. Twenty-eight copper bells were also prepared. Each night at the start of the watch, the first bell would be rung from the first post west of the Meridian Gate’s right side. Soldiers would pass the bell from one post to the next in sequence until it reached the first post of the left side, completing a circuit from northwest to southeast around the Imperial City. At dawn, the bell would be returned to the first post on the right for reuse the next day. After the Qing entered the Pass, the Imperial City guards continued the Ming system, patrolling from right to left, but replaced the “bell relay” with a “token relay.”

The commander of the Imperial Guards who guarded the inner palace would keep watch overnight inside Shenwu Gate and hold the keys to the south Shunzhen Gate. In feudal times, the capital of an emperor was traditionally arranged according to the principle of “front court, back market,” meaning the court was located at the front of the city center, and the market at the back. In the Ming Dynasty, the “back market” was not only located north of Di’anmen but also featured an “inner market” in front of Shenwu Gate, which opened on the fourth day of each month. Merchants could trade freely there to supply goods for the palace and the nobility. This long street, stretching from east to west, displayed a dazzling array of treasures, including bronze ware from the Xuande era, porcelain from the Chenghua era, lacquerware from the Yongle Orchard Factory, and enamelware commissioned by the JingTai Palace eunuchs—offering virtually everything imaginable. During the Qing Dynasty, there was also an inner market. When Empress Dowager Cixi resided in the Western Garden, she ordered eunuchs to set up a market near the Round City beside the Chengguang Hall in Beihai, displaying various goods. Cixi herself would visit to browse and inquire about prices, referring to the activity as “observing the sentiments of the merchants,” as noted in the "Annotations to Qing Palace Poems."

The sources of emperors’ and empresses’ consorts in the Qing Dynasty differed from those of previous dynasties. The Qing established its own unique system for selecting palace maidens, and Shenwu Gate was the mandatory imperial gate through which the selected Eight Banners maidens entered and exited the palace. This strict selection process was overseen by the Ministry of Revenue and held once every three years. On the day before the selection, commanders and aides from each banner would arrange the order of carriages, which would then enter in sequence. Each carriage displayed double lanterns with distinguishing marks. The carriages departed in the evening, passed through Di’anmen at night, and waited outside Shenwu Gate before being admitted. The maidens would then disembark and enter the palace in order. The carriages would exit through the alley beside Shenwu Gate, leave through Donghuamen, proceed north along Chongwenmen Street, loop around, and re-enter Di’anmen before returning to Shenwu Gate—by which time it was usually around noon the next day. The selected maidens would then exit Shenwu Gate in order, board their carriages, and return home. Despite the hundreds of vehicles, the process was orderly, hence it was called the “carriage formation.” It is said that during the Qianlong reign, the carriages and horses were chaotic, with disorderly entries and exits. Contestants jostled for position, blocking the way, leading not only to lost hairpins and earrings among the banner maidens but also traffic accidents.

Address: No. 4, Jingshan Front Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Type: Historical Site

Recommended Visiting Time: 10–20 minutes

Phone: 010-85007428

Opening Hours:

Low Season (Nov 1 – Mar 31): 8:00–16:30; Peak Season (Apr 1 – Oct 31): 8:00–17:00. Shenwu Gate can be viewed from the outside of the Forbidden City at any time.

Ticket Information:

No ticket required. Viewing or taking photos of Shenwu Gate from the outside of the Forbidden City is free. Entry into the Forbidden City requires a separate ticket.

Palace Museum

Bell and Drum Towers

Hall of Supreme Harmony

Hall of Preserving Harmony

Hall of Martial Valor

Palace of Earthly Tranquility

Hall of Heavenly Purity

Palace of Longevity and Health

Studio of the Three Rarities

Hall of Mental Cultivation

Palace of Longevity and Peace

Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City

Palace of Eternal Longevity

Meridian Gate

Hall of Literary Glory

Hall of Virtue and Harmony

Gate of Supreme Harmony

Hall of Imperial Ancestors