When it comes to the old city gates in Nanjing, there is a jingle among the people: ‘Thirteen inside and eighteen outside. One door bolt is inserted outward.’ The city gate described as ‘a door bolt inserted outward’ refers to Shencemen. Shencemen is relatively small in scale. The city gate is inside and the barbican is outside. The barbican gate is not directly facing the city gate but is located at the northeast corner of the barbican. The jingle vividly summarizes its special architectural form. Today, Shencemen is a relatively well-preserved city gate in Nanjing. The barbican, archway gate and the three-bay hip-roofed city tower are still there. Although Shencemen is a military fortress, due to its remote location and sparse population, it was basically closed and not in use during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In 1928, the National Government renamed Deshengmen as ‘Hepingmen’. Due to its long-term status as a military restricted area, Shencemen has always been shrouded in a mysterious veil. According to the planning of the scenic belt of the Ming city wall in Nanjing, in August 2001, Shencemen Yuecheng Park was completed. Shencemen finally shows its unique charm to the world. Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:30 to 17:00.
Shencemen Park
When it comes to the old city gates in Nanjing, there is a jingle among the people: ‘Thirteen [...]
