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Introduction to the meridian gate of the Forbidden City
The meridian gate is the main entrance of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which is concave in plan. Its shape is the same as the meridian gate of Nanjing Forbidden City. Located on the north-south axis of the Forbidden City, it is 37.95 meters high. It was built in the 18th year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty (1420), rebuilt in the 4th year of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty (1647) and rebuilt in the 6th year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (188), hence the name. In front of it are Duanmen, Tiananmen Square (the main entrance of the imperial city) and Daqing Gate, and behind it is Taihe Gate.

There are Duanmen, Tiananmen Square (the main entrance of the imperial city, known as Chengtianmen in the Ming Dynasty), Daqingmen (known as Daming Gate in the Ming Dynasty), followed by Taihe Gate (known as Fengtianmen in the Ming Dynasty, later renamed Huang Jimen, and renamed today in the Qing Dynasty). Inside each door, the corridors are neatly arranged on both sides. This layout, which is surrounded by gates and progressive at different levels, is inherited from the Forbidden City in Nanjing, which is conducive to highlighting the majestic features of palace buildings. The meridian gate is the main entrance of the Forbidden City.

East, west, north and south are connected by terraces and surrounded by a square. The gatehouse in the north is nine rooms wide with double eaves and a yellow tile roof. There are thirteen bedrooms on the east-west platform, which are lined up from both sides of the gatehouse to the south, shaped like a wild goose wing, also known as the wild goose wing building. At the north and south ends of the East and West Swallow Wing Building, there is a double-eaved pavilion with a pyramid roof (in the Ming Dynasty, the same as the Forbidden City in Nanjing). The majestic Wumen Gate is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with five peaks protruding and imposing, so it is commonly known as the Five Peaks Tower.