Ancient Yongjin Gate

Ancient Yongjin Gate

Yongjin Gate was one of the ancient western city gates of Hangzhou. In the first year of the Tianfu era during the Five Dynasties period (936 AD), Qian Yuanguan, the King of Wuyue, diverted water from West Lake into the city and dug Yongjin Pool here, constructing this gate. The gate faced the lake, with a water gate (also known as Yongjin Sluice) on its eastern side. Legend has it that this is the place where a golden ox emerged from West Lake, hence the name. In the 28th year of the Shaoxing era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1158), the city wall was expanded and the gate was renamed Fengyu Gate. In the early Ming Dynasty, its original name was restored. Yongjin Gate had long served as a passage from inside Hangzhou to West Lake and was located in a bustling area of the city. A couplet on the gate tower read: “The long battlements reach the clear waves, where water and sky merge into one hue; the lofty tower stands above the lively streets, surrounded by the glow of myriad homes.” West Lake pleasure boats often gathered and departed from here, giving rise to the saying “Boatmen row outside Yongjin Gate.”

In the 44th year of the Kangxi era during the Qing Dynasty (1705), Emperor Kangxi visited Hangzhou on his southern tour and entered West Lake through the Yongjin Water Gate from the inner city canals (now Huansha Road and Kaiyuan Road). In the 2nd year of the Republic of China (1913), Hangzhou began dismantling its city walls. Following the removal of the “Banner Camp,” Yongjin Gate, Qingbo Gate, and Qiantang Gate, along with the surrounding walls, were demolished and replaced by Nanshan Road and Hubin Road, thus connecting West Lake directly with the urban area. To inform future generations of the changes to the city’s fortifications, a memorial stele was erected at the original site.