Gate of Divine Prowess

The Gate of Divine Might, the northern gate. The lower tablet reads "The Palace Museum" (故宫博物院)

The Gate of Divine Might or Gate of Divine Prowess (Chinese: 神武门; pinyin: Shénwǔmén) 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 "Black Tortoise Gate" (玄武门; 玄武門; 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 use of the Chinese character Xuan (玄) became a form of naming taboo. The character Xuan (玄) also has the meaning of "sacred mystery", which correlates well with the new character "Shen" (神), meaning "divine".

External links

• Media related to Gate of Divine Might (Forbidden City) at Wikimedia Commons