engineering

Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing

Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing rather than just read about it. In short: The Zhonghua Gate (traditional Chinese: 中華門; simplified Chinese: 中华门; pinyin: Zhōnghuámén) is a gate and defensive complex on the city wall of Nanjing, China. This is the southern gate of Nanjing city.

Key takeaways

Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Zhonghua Gate (traditional Chinese: 中華門; simplified Chinese: 中华门; pinyin: Zhōnghuámén) is a gate and defensive complex on the city wall of Nanjing, China. This is the southern gate of Nanjing city. It is renowned as the city gate with one of the most complex and well preserved structures in the world.

History

The city wall of Nanjing was built from 1360 to 1386 under the founder of the Ming dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang was crowned Emperor, and made Nanjing his capital. The southern and eastern sections of the old city wall from the Tang dynasty were incorporated into the new wall. The northern and eastern sections were built afresh. The city wall was 33.676 kilometres long. It was 14–21 m high; 14.5m thick at its base, and 4.9m thick at the top. Thirteen gates were built into the wall, and the enclosed area was the largest of any walled city in China. The gate today known as Zhonghua Gate was then known as Jubao Gate (traditional Chinese: 聚寶門; simplified Chinese: 聚宝门; pinyin: Jùbǎo Mén; lit. 'Gathering Treasure Gate'). It was built on the site of the south gate of the capital city of the Southern Tang dynasty. It was the largest among the thirteen gates of Nanjing. In 1931, after the Republic of China government established Nanjing as its capital, the gate was renamed to Zhonghua Gate. In one sense, this reflects the triumph of the southern factions led by Chiang Kai-shek over the northern factions of the Beiyang government in Beijing, who had named the southern (main) gate of Beijing "Gate of China" to signify its status as "gate of the nation".

Layout The gate was made of huge strip stones 0.8 – 1.39 m long, 0.7 m wide and 0.26-0.35 thick and large Chinese brick 0.4 m long 0.2 m wide and 0.1 m thick. Its dimensions were 118.5 m from east to west, and 128 m from south to north. The ramparts were 20.45 m high. The total area enclosed was 15,168 square meters. Three barbicans were connected by four arched gates, each of which was equipped with a Qianjinzha (traditional Chinese: 千金閘; simplified Chinese: 千金闸; pinyin: Qiānjīn Zhá; lit. 'very heavy gate') which could be opened up and down, as well as a pair of wooden doors. The Toudaomen (traditional Chinese: 頭道門; simplified Chinese: 头道门; pinyin: Tóudào Mén; lit. 'first gate') consisted of 3 steps. At the top step, there used to be a wooden building to defend against the enemy. The middle step was built of brick and stone. It was 65.15 m long, 47.20 m wide and 9.00 m high. In the north section of it were constructed 7 soldier staying holes. In the middle of the lower step was constructed an arched gate leading to barbican. It was 52.60 m long, 5.35 m wide and 8.7 m high. At the north section of it were built 3 soldier staying holes. Erdaomen (the second gate) was 16.14 m away from Toudaomen. Its hole was 8.20 m long, 4.97 m wide and 8.10 m high. The hole of Sandaomen (the third gate) 15.18 m away from Erdaomen was 8.32 m long, 4.82 m wide and 8.1 m high. Sidaomen (the fourth gate) was 19.3 m away from Sandaomen. Its hole was 8.8 m long, 4.8 m wide and 8.1 m high. At the outerside of the east and west of barbican were constructed 14 soldier staying holes (7 facing to the east 7 facing to the west). There are 27 soldier staying holes altogether in all the barbican and two paved ramps by which mounted troops can ride to the top. Zhonghua Gate has weathered wind and rain for 600 years. It still holds its original state except that the wooden structure has been destroyed and some features on the wall constructed of sticks and stones. It is rare in the world for its vast scale and sophisticated style. It is a great engineering project of complex and intricate design, occupying an important place in Chinese construction history, as well as being important in Chinese military history. It was listed on the cultural and scenic spots under careful protection by the Jiangsu provincial government in 1957 and the state council in 1988.

Admission The site is open to the public from 08:30 to 20:00, with tickets costing 50 yuan.

Transportation The area is accessible within walking distance north of Zhonghuamen Station of Nanjing Metro.

References

External links

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing

In research: Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures completed in 1386, Buildings and structures in Nanjing, City walls in China, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing in simple terms?

Why does Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing.