Forbidden City in Beijing - 2008

Meridian Gate - 34

The Meridian Gate, Wumen in Chinese, is the southern entrance of the Forbidden City. Chinese emperors believed that they were the Sons of Heaven and therefore should live at the center of the universe. They believed the Meridian Line went through the Forbidden City, so this gate was named accordingly. Wumen is the largest and most imposing of the entrances and is the main gate to the Forbidden City. It has five openings and is 35.6 meters high. The gate is surmounted by five pavilions named Wufenglou, which means 'The Tower of the Five Phoenix'. The tower housed drums which were beaten to announce the emperor's departure for the Temple of Heaven, while bells were rung to announce their departure to the Ancestral Temple. The bells and drums were sounded when the emperor was going to receive his ministers in Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony).