Loumen Gate

Loumen Gate

Located in the northeast of the city. Originally called (Miao) Gate. The *Wu Di Ji* (Records of Wu Area) states: “Loumen was originally named (Miao) Gate. In the southeast during the Qin Dynasty, there was an ancient (Miao) County, which was renamed Lou County by Wang Mang of the Han Dynasty.” The gate was accordingly renamed Loumen. After the gate tower was rebuilt in the early Qing Dynasty, it was inscribed with the plaque “Splendor of Rivers and Seas.” The city gate consists of three layers—outer, middle, and inner—with a gate tower built within the inner city, and open spaces along with sluice gate mechanisms between the three layers, making it very sturdy. The three water gates also had sluice gate installations. The gate towers above the outer, middle, and inner city entrances were demolished around the 37th year of the Republic of China (1948). In 1958, the inner city gate and the water gates were subsequently dismantled.