
Introduction
Meridian Gate (??) is the south gate of the Forbidden City, with height of 35 meters (114.8 feet). It opens to the south and is located on the meridian line in Chinese culture, thus it gained its name Meridian Gate. It was also named Wufenglou (Five-Phoenix Tower), since on the gate there are five towers connected through a veranda, which look like the unfolding-wing phoenixes.
History & Background
The design of the Meridian Gate originated in the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) as a defensive measure. The entrance to the palace could be defended by archers from three sides. A variation of this defense is found on many city gates. The wings are joined with another wall to provide a trap should the enemy break through the outer wall. That provided the best defense of the weakest point. The fourth wall of the enclosure was not necessary on the Forbidden City since there were two more exterior walls well distant from the palace enclosure.

Function & Structure
The Meridian Gate ?? can be seen as a welcoming gesture, but it is actually a defensive design. If the enemy ever made it this far, the defensive forces could fire down upon the attackers from three sides.
The more usual use was ceremonial. There are five doors in the gate, three in the middle and two to the side in the wings. The center gate was reserved for the emperor and, of course, the attendants carrying his sedan chair. The gate on the west was for family members and the one on the east was for high ministers and the military of high rank during processions. The far doors were only used during grand receptions and parades for those of lesser rank.

The west side door was for the military and the east for low ranking ministers. If foreign dignitaries were allowed to march in the procession, they used the west side door with the military. In the early days of the Forbidden City the Meridian Gate was truly the "front door" and was a formal entrance. Trades people and those on ordinary business would use one of the other gates, such as the east gate we saw earlier.

The area was also used for punishments - whippings for one infraction or another. The emperor would be presented with prisoners of war after major battles at this gate. There were some executions in the area, but it was not the rule. On a happier note, when the emperor married, the empress would enter the Forbidden City through the center door on her wedding day. The three highest ranking scholars in the national examinations would leave the Forbidden City through the central door. This privilege was symbolic of the importance paid to scholarshiip and the promise of future service to the country and the emperor.
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Duration:7-8 Hours
Attractions(Cities):Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace
Tour Style:One day, four Beijing essentials — Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace — with a private English-speaking guide and your own air-conditioned car and driver. Itineraries run daily, take 7–8 hours door to door, and can start from your Beijing hotel, a train station or the airport arrivals gate. Your guide walks you through Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) palace courts with real dates instead of legend, then takes you to a genuine local kitchen for Peking Duck — you order, you pay for what you eat, and vegetarian, halal or lighter meals are easy to arrange. Want to fold in Tai Chi at the Temple of Heaven, a hutong morning market, Peking Opera or Hanfu photos? Just tell us; the car and the day are yours.
Duration:2 Days, 1 Night
Attractions(Cities):Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Nanluoguxiang, Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace
Tour Style:Two days, one night, six Beijing essentials — with a private English-speaking guide, your own car and driver, and one overnight in a city-centre four-star. Day one: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), a hutong lunch stop, the Temple of Heaven, then evening on Nanluoguxiang. Day two: an early start to the Mutianyu Great Wall — cable car up, optional toboggan down — then the Summer Palace and its 728-metre Long Corridor before drop-off at your hotel, station or airport. Tell us if you want to fold in Peking Duck, 798 Art District, flag-raising at dawn, Chinese acrobatics, a street-snack crawl or Hanfu photos.
Duration:3 Days, 2 Nights
Attractions(Cities):Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Jingshan Park, Summer Palace, Kunming Lake Boat Riding, Nanluoguxiang, Panjiayuan Antique Market, Mutianyu Great Wall, Bird's Nest, Water Cube
Tour Style:Three days, two nights in a city-centre four-star, eleven Beijing essentials and a private English-speaking guide, your own air-conditioned car and a professional driver for the whole trip. Day 1: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), Jingshan Park for the north panorama over golden roofs, evening on Nanluoguxiang. Day 2: the Mutianyu Great Wall — cable car up, optional toboggan down — back through the city for a walk around the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube lit up. Day 3: the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace with a boat on Kunming Lake, and a slow hour at the Panjiayuan antique market before drop-off at your hotel, station or airport. Lunch isn’t included — your guide takes you to genuine local kitchens and you pay for what you eat.
Duration:5 Days, 4 Nights
Attractions(Cities):Mutianyu Great Wall, Bird's Nest, Water Cube, Qianmen Street, Morning Market, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Jingshan Park, Temple of Heaven, Nanluoguxiang, Facial Makeup Painting, 798 Art Zone
Tour Style:Five days, four nights in a city-centre Beijing hotel with a private English-speaking guide, your own car and a professional driver. This is the ‘beyond the surface’ version of Beijing — yes, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), Jingshan Park for the golden-roof panorama, the Temple of Heaven and the Mutianyu Great Wall are all in, but the tour also threads in a dawn hutong morning market, a face-painting workshop with a working Peking Opera artist, the 798 Art District’s galleries and cafés, an evening at Qianmen pedestrian street, and a slow look at the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube at the old Olympic Park. Lunch isn’t included on purpose — your guide takes you to genuine local kitchens each day and you pay for what you eat. Drop-off on Day 5 at your Beijing hotel, station or airport.
Duration:10+ Hours
Attractions(Cities):Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum
Tour Style:A long but focused day trip to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Your private English-speaking guide and car meet you at your Xi’an hotel, train station or airport (arrive from Beijing by G-series high-speed rail — 4.5–6 hours, or an early flight if you prefer). Lintong, 35 km east of Xi’an, holds roughly 8,000 life-size clay soldiers, horses and chariots buried with the first emperor Qin Shi Huang around 210 BC and rediscovered by farmers digging a well in 1974 (UNESCO-listed). You’ll cover Pit 1, Pit 2, Pit 3 and the bronze-chariot museum at a proper pace, break for lunch at a local noodle kitchen on your own bill, and finish back at your Xi’an pickup point or the station for the evening train. Total door to door: 10+ hours.
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