Remember this gate. It whispers tales of emperors and eunuchs. We are standing before Donghuamen. It is also known as the East Prosperity Gate. This gate served as the eastern entrance to the Forbidden City. Donghuamen mirrors the West Prosperity Gate. Both stand guard on opposite sides of this imperial domain.
Imagine officials arriving here. Dismount stones stand outside Donghuamen. Rank mattered little here. All had to descend from their mounts. They would enter on foot showing respect.
Look closely at the gate. Three openings invite passage. Most palace gates boast nine-nine rows of door nails. Donghuamen has only eight-nine rows. This difference sparks curiosity.
Consider the plaque above. Once it displayed Manchu Mongolian and Chinese scripts. Over time Mongolian vanished. The revolution of 1911 brought further change. Only Chinese characters remained.
Picture soldiers preparing for military parades. The gate tower stored their cotton armor. Every other year the armor was displayed.
Step back to 1763. Emperor Qianlong ordered rooms near the moat. These 70 rooms became warehouses. They stored rice for the eunuchs monthly allowance. These warehouses gained the name En Feng Cang. This translates to kind giving and bumper harvest.
Envision the early Qing dynasty. Only cabinet officials could pass through Donghuamen. Later during Qianlongs reign select senior officials gained access too.
The crown prince also used this gate frequently. It offered a direct route to his palace.
However Donghuamen carries a somber association. It was the Ghost Gate. The coffins of emperors empresses and empress dowagers exited the Forbidden City through it.
Visualize a desperate scene. It is March 19 1644. Li Zichengs uprising army storms Beijing. Emperor Chongzhen seeks escape. He flees through Donghuamen with a few eunuchs. Rebels block the city gates. Escape is impossible. The emperor hangs himself in despair. Li Zicheng displays his body outside Donghuamen. This tragic event cemented its Ghost Gate reputation.
The Qing dynasty continued the tradition. Royal coffins passed through Donghuamen. The name Ghost Gate became ever more common.
Consider the number nine. Ancient China used it to signify nobility. The Forbidden City had 9999.5 rooms. Yet Donghuamen defied this pattern. It had 72 nails in eight-nine rows. Why this deviation?
One guess links it to Emperor Chongzhen. He exited through Donghuamen before his suicide. The Qing rulers deemed it unlucky. They reduced the nails to an even number. Even numbers represent Yin and death.
Another theory suggests a building error. Small door nails meant for Donghuamen were used on Shenwumen. They had to reduce a row.
Perhaps the change served a purpose. It may have altered the five-element map. This was to turn bad luck into good fortune.
Another perspective focuses on status. The crown prince was inferior to the emperor. Therefore Donghuamen had fewer nails.
Think back to the Jiaqing Emperors reign. A peasant army infiltrated the Forbidden City. Eunuch Liu Decai led them through Donghuamen. A dispute with a coal man exposed their hidden weapons. Guards closed the gate. The uprising failed.
As you stand here consider the layers of history. Donghuamen witnessed triumphs and tragedies. It is a silent observer of imperial life and death.