source： editor：zhang wenni
xi'an city wall is endowed with profound history, witnessing the city's rapid development, and the eighteen gates are signs of the city, always accompanying the residents. however, do you know the background stories of these gates?
this week, we will come up with 2 episodes to help you dig deeper into these 18 gates. we will start from the yongning gate in the clockwise direction to further discover the "treasures" within the 18 gates.
01 yongning gateyongning gate, commonly known as the south gate, is the oldest gate in xi'an. it was built in the early sui dynasty. its original name was anshang gate, and it was changed into yongning gate in the ming dynasty. today's yongning gate is a "cultural gate" to welcome tourists from all over the world.
recommended tour sites & restaurants
xiangzi temple avenue
academy gate (shuyuan men)
skp shopping mall
02 zhuque gate
zhuque gate was originally the south gate of the imperial city of chang'an in the tang dynasty, and zhuque avenue in the center of the city is right under the gate. during the sui and tang dynasties, emperors often held celebrations here. when xi'an city wall was restored in 1985, the heritage of zhuque gate in the ming city wall was excavated.
recommended tour sites & restaurants
meeting jazz meeting jazz club
yide mutton hot pot
03 wumu gate
wumu gate, commonly known as the small south gate, was opened in 1939 and offered the name wumu gate in 1974. it is located between the hanguang gate and zhuque gate of the southern city wall. the wumu gate has only one door, with sifu street inside and hongying road outside.
recommended tour sites & restaurants
wumu craft beer
bueno cocktail bar
04 hanguang gate
hanguang gate is located southwest of chang'an imperial city in the tang dynasty. when han jian built the new city in the late tang dynasty, he closed its middle and west doors and retained the east door. in 1984, when the city wall of xi'an was renovated, the site of hanguang gate was excavated, and the pillar foundation made of granite and the threshold of engraved flowers were found.
recommended tour sites & restaurants
si cheng si•chinese food taste
ice-house lane
anding gate, commonly known as the west gate, was originally the middle gate in the west part of the imperial city in the tang dynasty. when the city wall was expanded in the ming dynasty, it was moved slightly to the south, named anding gate, implying the prosperity and peace of the western border area. the west gate tower in the gate is the most complete ancient fort in china so far.
recommended tour sites & restaurants
old he’s marinade sauce bean jelly (halal)
qiaozikou jia yongxin marinated lamb
06 yuxiang gate
yuxiang gate was opened in 1928 in memory of general feng's historical achievements. yuxiang gate is one of the relatively old city gates other than the four inherent gates in the four directions of xi'an city. it is also an important traffic channel in the northwest of the city.
recommended tour sites & restaurants
fengxiang gaigai soaked-bread with tofu pudding soup
laochenggen courtyard bar
shangwu gate, located at the far west of the north city wall, is commonly known as the small north gate. it is the youngest of the 18 gates, opened after the founding of new china.
recommended tour sites & restaurants
guangren temple
longhai line railway theme park
08 anyuan gate
anyuan gate, commonly known as the north gate, was built in ming dynasty when the city wall was built. the word "anyuan" inherits the pacify policy adopted by the han in the central plain for the remote ethnic groups. it is hoped that the remote ethnic groups could submit to unified leadership by the state.
09 shangde gateshangde gate was opened in 1986 on the southwest side of xi'an railway station. it is named after the shangde road.
recommended tour sites & restaurants
daming palace national heritage park
xi'an railway station
xi’an 7 sages youth hostel