The Nanjing Ming Palace Museum is the blueprint for the Beijing Palace Museum. It is the first national unified dynasty palace in the history of Nanjing. It is located on the north and south sides of today's Zhongshan Road. In order to become the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang "ordered Liu Ji and others to designate the land as a new palace", and finally selected this land as a Feng Shui treasure land of "Zhongfu Dragon Pan" and "Emperor's House". In today's ruins park, tourists can visit: Meridian Gate ruins, Fengtian Gate ruins, Donghua Gate ruins, Xihua Gate ruins, Xi'an Gate ruins, etc.
1. Meridian Gate Ruins
As the south gate (main gate) of the palace, the middle gate can only be used by emperors and empresses, and the left and right side gates can only be used by dukes, marquises, princes-in-law, third-rank civil servants, and fourth-rank military attachés. Only officials with grades above are allowed to enter and exit, while other grades can only enter through the two gates and exit through the two gates. In addition to being the entrance and exit gate for officials, the Meridian Gate is also a place where imperial edicts and court notices are conveyed, and it is also where the emperor punishes ministers with the "court staff".
When the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City in Nanjing was first built, there were no double gates. In the eighth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1375), Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict to abandon the construction of the central capital of the Ming Dynasty and concentrated on building the Nanjing capital, adding two gates (including the left and right gates). door) and tuck the door left and right.
The Meridian Gate is the main gate of the palace city. It is a majestic building with a three-hole door scroll and double balconies on both sides. There is a beautiful and luxurious Yifeng Tower on the top of the building. The entire Meridian Gate is in the shape of an inverted "concave" shape, with double balconies extending out on both sides. The double balconies originated from the architectural form of the Qin and Han Dynasties. By the time of the Ming Dynasty Forbidden City, it was The double gate is the last remnant of this architectural form.
The original appearance of the Meridian Gate today, including the white marble Xumizuo and the three-hole ticket gate, are well preserved. Standing on the Meridian Gate, you can overlook Yudao Street. Among the people in Nanjing, there are also names such as "Wuchao Gate" and "Wuchao Gate". They are named because the three gates of the Meridian Gate and the two gates on the left and right, totaling five gates, are the gates of the Shang Dynasty.
2. Fengtianmen Site
Fengtianmen was first built in 1366 (the 26th year of the Yuan Dynasty). Enter from the Meridian Gate and cross the Inner Wulong Bridge to reach Fengtian. Gate, inside the gate is Fengtian Hall. The Fengtianmen site is 58 meters long from east to west and 30 meters wide from north to south. Fengtianmen is the place where the emperor meets with ministers to discuss matters, that is, the place where the "imperial gate listens to politics". In the early Yongle period, Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, held a state banquet here to receive King Bali and his entourage.
3. Donghuamen Ruins
Donghua Gate is the only remaining gate of the Ming Dynasty palace in Nanjing. Donghua Gate has been occupied by the Nanjing Metallurgical Equipment Factory for a long time and has become a garbage dump. Most people have no way of knowing about it. With the completion of Donghuamen Heritage Park, everyone can finally see the majesty of Donghuamen. Donghua Gate and Xi'an Gate are similar in size and shape, but the biggest difference from Xi'an Gate is that the Xumi pedestals are all plain, without scrolling leaf carvings, and the style is relatively simple. This truly reflects Zhu Yuanzhang's order to build a simple palace. There are obvious signs of demolition of the city walls on the north and south sides of Donghua Gate. The Yifeng Tower on the top of the city tower no longer exists and was damaged in the past. Donghua Gate has been restored and opened to the public as the Donghua Gate Heritage Park. The southernmost gate still retains the pavement from the Ming Dynasty. The top of the city tower has the stone foundation of the Ming Dynasty Yifeng Tower, and the ruins of the corridors can be clearly seen.