Yongdingmen Gate 永定门

The Yongdingmen Gate, the southern portal of the outer city of the old city of Beijing, is the historical landmark of the southern end of Beijing Central Axis. It comprises the reconstructed city gate tower and the pavements on the ground showing the historic placement of the wengcheng barbican on the south side, providing an essential scenic spot for viewing the landscape of the south section of the axis.The Yongdingmen Gate was first built in 1553. In order to build up Beijing's defense during the Ming dynasty, seven city gates were built for the outer city, with the Yongdingmen Gate being the largest and the highest ranked. The wengeheng barbican was added on the south side of the Yongdingmen Gate Tower in 1564. The archery tower was built on the wengeheng barbican in 1750.In the 1950s, Beijing was developing rapidly and the problem of traffic congestion in the Yongdingmen area became increasingly acute. In 1951, the Yongdingmen Gate's wengeheng barbican was demolished to open up t