Xihua Gate

History

Xihuamen, the West Prosperity Gate, was built in 1420, the eighteenth year of the Ming Dynasty’s Yongle Emperor. Right outside this gate sits Xiyuan, the imperial garden. During the Qing Dynasty, emperors and empresses often used Xihuamen to leave the Forbidden City when heading to Xiyuan or traveling to other gardens in the western suburbs. In 1751, the sixteenth year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, a huge celebration took place for the Empress Dowager’s sixtieth birthday. Then in 1790, the fifty-fifth year of Qianlong’s reign, the emperor himself marked his eightieth birthday with equally grand festivities. The route from Xihuamen, through Xizhimen and on to Haidian, was decorated with lanterns and ornaments. Colorful tents were set up, and musical performances were arranged ahead of time to honor the occasion. On July 18, 1813, the eighteenth year of the Jiaqing Emperor’s reign, the emperor and his party left for a hunting trip at the Mulan Paddock, north of Chengde. That September, the Tianli Sect, led by Lin Qing, Li Wencheng, and Feng Keshan, started an uprising against the Qing Dynasty. On October 8, 1813, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Lin Qing sent Chen Shuang and others to attack both Donghuamen and Xihuamen of the Forbidden City at the same time. This event became known as the Guiyou Rebellion. On September 16, Qing forces searched the entire Forbidden City throughout the day. Just before dawn on September 17, troops from the Office of the Infantry Commander were sent to Songjiazhuang in Huangcun, Daxing County, Shuntian Prefecture—now part of Fengtai District—to arrest Lin Qing. While returning to Beijing from Rehe, the Jiaqing Emperor learned that the rebellion had been put down. He came back to the palace on September 19. On September 23, the emperor personally questioned Lin Qing, along with eunuchs Liu Jin, Liu Decai, and others. He then ordered their immediate execution. In his Edict of Confession in Case of Misfortune, the Jiaqing Emperor called the uprising something that had never happened in the Han, Tang, Song, or Ming dynasties. Prince Li Zhaolian agreed, asking if such an event had ever occurred since the beginning of time. On October 19, 1819, the 24th year of the Jiaqing Emperor's reign, a fire broke out at the Wenying Pavilion inside Xihuamen. Princes and high-ranking officials rushed to help but were stopped by guards at Xihuamen, who insisted the palace was a restricted area. Emperor Jiaqing had already ordered the gate opened for firefighting, but the guards blocked entry. The emperor dismissed Su Chong'a, the officer in charge that day, 'as a warning to others.'

In 1900, during the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance, Empress Dowager Cixi, Emperor Guangxu, and their entourage fled the Forbidden City through Xihuamen, escaping westward in haste and disorder. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhongnanhai became the political heart of the nation, making Xihuamen strategically significant. It is heavily guarded by the 8341 Troops and not open to the public. During the Cultural Revolution, the State Council approved construction of a new East Wing of the Beijing Hotel. Architect Zhang Bo—son of Zhang Mingqi, former Qing governor of Guangdong and Guangxi—led the project. The design initially proposed 14 stories at about 50 meters. Vice Premier Li Xiannian encouraged building higher, and a 130-meter plan was drafted, then adjusted to around 100 meters. Zhang Bo finalized the height at 100.25 meters. In spring 1973, construction began under Wu Ziyu, director of the Beijing Construction Engineering Bureau. Soon after, Yang Dezhong, political commissar of the Central Guard Corps, reported that Premier Zhou Enlai had noticed the construction lights from Zhongnanhai and felt the height threatened security and visual integrity. Zhou rejected a proposal to raise the Meridian Gate tower, saying, 'First, we must not damage cultural relics; second, we shouldn't do something as foolish as trying to hide what's plainly there.' On October 29, 1973, Zhou expressed preference for the original 50-meter height, telling Wan Li, 'Beijing doesn't need buildings this tall. I think about 50 meters is sufficient.' Three days later, at 10 p.m., Wan Li and Zhao Pengfei summoned Zhang Bo to the Xinjiang Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Premier Zhou arrived to review the revised model and approved a plan that included blocking west-facing doors and windows and constructing a screen structure at Xihuamen to obscure the line of sight toward Zhongnanhai. On November 4, 1973, Zhou visited the construction site, then led Wan Li, Yang Dezhong, Zhao Pengfei, and Zhang Bo to Xihuamen to assess the planned visual barrier. Zhou personally determined the final length of the screen structure, extending it to nearly four times its originally proposed length. He told them, 'The New East Building must not be opened for use, even if completed, until the screen structure is finished.' He added that additional structures to the west of the East and West Huamen serve both national interests and preservation of the Forbidden City, and could be used for storing grain or cultural relics, with the 8341 Troops occupying the screen buildings. All structures were to match the Forbidden City's architectural style, with west-facing windows designed as blind windows with lattice-style frames. Wan Li, Zhao Pengfei, and Zhang Bo estimated the total construction area—including the screen wall and auxiliary buildings—would reach approximately 50,000 square meters. However, the Beijing Municipal Revolutionary Committee expressed financial concerns.

Architecture

From the tower at Xihuamen, one can take in a panoramic view of Zhongnanhai.