Qianmen is the colloquial name for Zhengyangmen, which is the South Gate of Tiananmen Square. It once guarded the entry to the inner city and, after the walls were destroyed in the 60's, only the gatehouse and the archery tower remain.
It was originally built in 1419, during the Ming Dynasty and, after the Communist victory in 1949, it was occupied by the People's Liberation Army. Since it was vacated in 1980, it has become a tourist attraction and the architecture is extremely well preserved.
As a military structure, its fascinating how much care was taken in designing the decorative details as well as the practical aspects.
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