Chapter 13 2. The gate of the Ming Dynasty

Chengtianmen (Tiananmen) has not been used as the main gate of the imperial city for a long time.For about three centuries before the mid-Qianlong period, the main gate of the imperial city was the Daming Gate south of Chengtian Gate (called Daqing Gate in the Qing Dynasty and Zhonghua Gate in the Republic of China).In the vast Ming Empire, Daming Gate is the only gate named after the name of the country.Therefore, after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the plaque of Daming Gate was immediately removed, turned over and engraved with "Great Qing Gate".In contrast, there was no rush to change Chengtianmen's name to Tiananmen, and the edict was not issued until the eighth year of Shunzhi (1651).It is said that when Daqing Gate was changed to Zhonghua Gate in the early years of the Republic of China, the door plaque was taken off, and it was intended to be turned over and used again, but the Qing Dynasty preempted it.So I had to find another gate and engrave the three characters of "Zhonghua Gate".

The importance of Daming Gate (Great Qing Gate) can also be seen from its door couplets.This couplet was written by Xie Jin, a famous scholar in the Ming Dynasty.Xie Jin (1369-1415), born in Jishui, Jiangxi Province, was a Jinshi of Hongwu. He was a talented scholar and a learned scholar.When Emperor Yongle ascended the throne, he was reused and participated in the maintenance of the aircraft. He served as a Hanlin bachelor and a university scholar, and presided over the compilation of "Records of Ming Taizu" and "Yongle Dadian".His story will be told later, and here is a special introduction to a pair of door couplets he made for Daming Gate——

The first couplet is: the sun, the moon, the light and the virtue of heaven; The second line is: Shanhe Zhuang Emperor's residence. This couplet is naturally a tribute to the emperor, the palace, the dynasty and the imperial power, but in terms of literature, it is indeed a majestic and earth-shattering couplet.because: One, it is majestic.Looking up at the sun and the moon in the dry sky, looking down at the mountains and rivers in Kundi, standing on the ground, piercing the universe, magnificent and magnificent, cannot be added. Second, the language is popular.The sky is to the earth, the sun and the moon are to the rivers, the virtues of heaven are to the emperor's residence, and nature is to society. The upper and lower couplets, five double characters, are simple in language, useless allusions, concise and clear, and can be understood by women and children.

Third, the artistic conception is lofty.The brilliance of the sun and the moon, and the magnificence of the mountains and rivers all exist to set off the Ming Dynasty, expanding the "Tiande" and "Emperor's Residence" to the lofty nature of the sky and the long-term rivers and rivers. However, "Mencius All-in-One" said: "The people are the most important, the society is second, and the king is the least." This couplet pushes the emperor, the palace, the dynasty, and the imperial power to the extreme. Although Daming Gate is important, its regulations are not high: compared with Chengtianmen (Tiananmen), there is no city tower, no double eaves, and only three gates are open, which are usually closed but not opened.The reason for this is probably because Daming Gate is located between Chengtian Gate and Zhengyang Gate. The two adjacent gates are very tall, the middle gate is low, and the two side gates are tall. In 1959, the Zhonghua Gate was demolished, and the memory of the "National Gate" gradually became dusty.

Hundreds of years ago, the national gate was a symbol of status and glory, and it was tied to the orthodoxy of the Celestial Dynasty. It was not only looked up to by all people, but also caused fierce struggles.Next, I will tell three stories related to Daming Gate (Great Qing Gate). first story.When Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty came to the throne, there was a "Great Ritual Discussion" that shocked the government and the public around the etiquette of passing through the Daming Gate.After the death of Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty, he had no sons, and was succeeded by his cousin Zhu Houcong according to the succession system of "brother ends up with younger brother".Zhu Houcong was the son of King Xingxian, who was about fifteen years old when he came to Beijing from Anlu, Hubei (now Zhongxiang).The Ministry of Rites invited Zhu Houcong to enter the imperial city through the Dong'an Gate according to the etiquette of the crown prince's accession to the throne.He said: "The emperor's edict said that I should ascend the throne as the emperor. What's the matter with the Ministry of Rites saying that!" His car drove outside the city, but he didn't enter the city.The Ministry of Rites had no choice, and finally he entered through the middle gate of the Daming Gate and ascended to the imperial palace. His year name was Jiajing, and he was the Emperor Jiajing.

second story.At that time, Emperor Jiajing's father had passed away, and his mother Jiang was still alive.Zhu Houcong was young and filial, and said to the officials, "the closest relatives are parents." His mother also came to Beijing to Tongzhou.The Ministry of Rites invites "The Virgin Mary should enter through Dong'an Gate when she arrives in Beijing".Enter the imperial city through Dong'an Gate?Emperor Jiajing forbade it, and then discussed to enter through the left door of Daming Gate, but refused to follow; finally, Emperor Jiajing categorically decreed: take the door in the middle of Daming Gate!During the stalemate, Emperor Jiajing's mother was very angry, lost her temper and refused to enter Beijing.When Emperor Jiajing heard of his mother's situation, he cried bitterly, and proposed that he no longer wanted to be an emperor, but wanted to "return to his mother"—both mother and son went back to their hometown in Hubei!The ministers were terrified, and finally decided to compromise: follow the wishes of Emperor Jiajing.Only then did Emperor Jiajing's mother set off from Tongzhou, enter the imperial city through the middle gate of the Daming Gate, and then enter the palace city to reunite with the emperor's son. ("The Chronicle of Ming Dynasty: The Great Ritual Discussion")

third story.There is also a story in Daqingmen in the Qing Dynasty.The concubine of the Qing Dynasty was the same as the Ming Dynasty. Only the empress was allowed to go through the Daqing Gate when she got married, and other concubines were only allowed to go through the back door of the Forbidden City-Xuanwu Gate (renamed Shenwu Gate during Kangxi).According to legend, Emperor Tongzhi's empress Alute and her mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Cixi, were fighting against each other, and once blurted out: "The daughter-in-law was brought in from the Qing Dynasty!" The implication-you are not worthy!If this sentence is true, it will definitely hurt the Empress Dowager Cixi's heart deeply.Later, the Empress Dowager Cixi forced her daughter-in-law to death. Perhaps this sentence planted a root of her disaster.