How did Tiananmen get its name? Why is there still Di’anmen?

Tiananmen means "mandated by Heaven to ensure peace and stability of the country".

It was originally named "Chengtianmen", which means "carrying heaven's destiny and receiving orders from heaven". In the 17th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1644), Li Zicheng led a peasant uprising army to capture the capital and was destroyed again. Chengtian Gate was rebuilt again the following year.

In the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1651), Fulin, the founder of the Qing Dynasty, ordered large-scale reconstruction on the ruins of the original site and renamed it "Tiananmen", which means "mandated by heaven to stabilize the country and govern the country". During the Kangxi period, it underwent two large-scale renovations.

Di'anmen is the north gate of the imperial city, and Tiananmen is the south gate of the imperial city. The north and south correspond to each other, implying peace in the world and good weather. Di'anmen is one of the four gates in the Imperial City of Beijing. The main gate of the imperial city is called Tiananmen (Mingming called Chengtianmen), the east is called Donganmen, the west is called Xi'anmen, and the north is called Di'anmen. It is known as Bei'anmen in the Ming Dynasty, and is commonly known as Houzaimen, also known as the back door.

Extended information:

Tiananmen

It is located in the center of Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, at the southern end of the Forbidden City, next to Tiananmen Square and the People's Heroes The monument, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Great Hall of the People, and the National Museum of China face each other across Chang'an Street, covering an area of ??4,800 square meters. It has attracted the attention of the world for its outstanding architectural art and special political status.

Tiananmen was the main entrance to the imperial city of Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was built in the 15th year of Yongle (1417) in the Ming Dynasty. The designer was Kuai Xiang, the imperial architect of the Ming Dynasty. In the eighth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1651), it was renamed Tiananmen Square. It consists of two parts: the city platform and the city tower. It has a white marble Xumizuo with a total height of 34.7 meters.

The Tiananmen Gate Tower is 66 meters long and 37 meters wide. There are five gates under the city platform. The middle gate is the largest and is located on the central axis of the Imperial City of Beijing. In the past, only the emperor could enter and exit through this gate. A portrait of Mao Zedong hangs above the central doorway, and on both sides are large slogans "Long live the Republic of the People's Republic of China" and "Long live the great unity of the people of the world."

On October 10, the 14th year of the Republic of China (1925), the Palace Museum was established and Tiananmen Square began to open to the public. On October 1, 1949, the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China was held here, and it was designed into the national emblem and became a symbol of the People's Republic of China. In 1961, the State Council of the People's Republic of China announced it as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Di'anmen

It was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420) and was originally named Bei'anmen. In the eighth year of Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1651), Bei'anmen was renamed Di'anmen. It was rebuilt in the ninth year of Shunzhi (1652). The overall building is a palace gate-style brick and wood structure with seven rooms in width, three rooms in the center are passages, and two rooms on the left and right are used as duty rooms. Its regulations are exactly the same as Xi'an Gate.

During the Republic of China, in order to facilitate transportation, the imperial city walls on the east and west sides of Di'anmen were demolished in 1913 and 1923. In the early days of the People's Republic of China, from the end of 1954 to February 1955, Di'anmen and Yanchi Tower were demolished on the grounds of improving road traffic.

In 1955, some celebrities had doubts about the dismantling of Di'an Gate, so the relevant departments made a numbered list of the doors, windows, pillars, lintels, lintels, purlins and other components obtained from the demolition of Di'an Gate, along with the bricks. Stones, glazed tiles and other components were transported to the Temple of Heaven, and it was planned to rebuild Di'anmen and Yanchi Tower as they were on the north side of the Temple of Heaven.

However, due to a fire in the Temple of Heaven, all the wooden building components of Di'anmen and Yanchi Tower were burned, and the plan to rebuild Di'anmen and Yanchi Tower was terminated. The building materials obtained from the demolition were later used to build the north gate of the Temple of Heaven.

In 2004, Wang Canchi, a member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, formally proposed a proposal to rebuild Di’anmen to the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. In 2005, many literary and historians proposed the reconstruction of Di'anmen and Yanchi Tower.

In 2011, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau launched the central axis cultural relics protection project and planned to restore the Di'anmen Yanchi Building, but the construction did not start. In 2012, Beijing launched the "Restoration Project of Iconic Historic Buildings in Famous Cities", and the Di'anmen Yanchi Tower reconstruction project is one of them.

On May 16, 2013, the reconstruction project of Di’anmen Yanchi Building started.

In August 2014, the main project of Di'anmen Yanchi Building was completed and is planned to be completed before the National Day of the same year.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Tiananmen

Baidu Encyclopedia-Tiananmen