Gate of Divine Prowess: Difference between revisions
Appearance
Content deleted Content added
wikilink |
+ category |
||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
{{PRC-struct-stub}} |
{{PRC-struct-stub}} |
||
[[Category:Forbidden City]] |
[[Category:Forbidden City]] |
||
[[Category:Chinese architectural history]] |
Revision as of 22:21, 5 September 2007
The Gate of Divine Might or Gate of Divine Prowess (Chinese: 神武門; pinyin: Shénwǔmén; lit. 'Divine Military Might/Prowess Gate') is the northern gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. It faces Jingshan Park. A tablet above the doorway reads "The Palace Museum" in Chinese.
The Gate was originally named The Black Tortoise Gate (Chinese: 玄武門; pinyin: Xuánwǔmén), this being the traditional name for the northern gate of a Chinese Imperial Palace. However when the Kangxi Emperor, whose birth name was Xuanye (玄燁), ascended to the throne, the word Xuán (玄) became a sacred taboo. The character "Xuán" (玄) also has the meaning of "sacred mystery", which correlates well with the new character "Shén" (神), meaning "divine".