Lion Statues in front of Gate of Heavenly Purity, Forbidden City

The Gate of Heavenly Purity (Gate of Celestial Purity or Qianqingmen) on the central axis divides the Forbidden City into two parts, the Outer Court and the Inner Court, therefore, it serves as the main entrance to the imperial household. To the east of the gate are Inner Light Gate (Neizuomen) and Ministry for Courtiers (Jiuqingfang) and to the west are Inner Right Gate (Neiyoumen) and Office of Grand Council of State (Junjichu). In the south of the gate, there is Qianqing Men Square, 200m long and 50m wide. To the east of the square is the Gate of Great Fortune (Jingyunmen) and to the west is the Gate of Great Ancestors (Longzongmen). In the east side inside the gate, there are Hall for Cultivating Princes (Shangshufang) and the Gate of Sun's Shine (Rijingmen). In the west side inside the gate, there are the South Study (Nanshufang) and the Gate of Moon's Radiance (Yuehuamen).

The Gate of Heavenly Purity was established in 1420 and rebuilt in 1655. Five bays wide, three bays deep and sixteen meters high, the Gate of Heavenly Purity is a structure with single-eaved roof, resting on the 1.5-meter-high white marble base of Buddhist-style building surrounded by carved stone balustrades.

In front of the gate there squats a pair of glided bronze lions guarding it. As is known, the Forbidden City holds numerous bronze lions, but the ones in front of the Gate of Heavenly Purity are somehow different. Sharp eyes will spot that the ears of these two lions are flipperty-flopperty while other lion statues inside the Forbidden City with their ears perked up.

Gate of Heavenly Purity

The experts in the Palace Museum stated that in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) the imperial family deterred the courtiers' entrance into the inner court and vice versa (prohibiting women's interference into state affairs). These two lions with flipperty-flopperty ears alarm the Inner Court concubines and court ladies that they'd better care about the government affairs in the Outer Court as little as possible.

Outside the gate there are four huge gleaming, gilded bronze vats. Although they are decorative, their prime function was to hold vast amount of water to fight the outbreak of fire. Each of these vats weighs four tons and would contain over two hundred gallons of water. Three hundred and eight vats spread around the Forbidden City, twenty-two of which are of the same design as those seen by this gate.

In year 1644, the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Shunzhi (1644-1661), issued the Bill of Oblivion at this gate. During the following period of the Qing Dynasty, some emperors held court at this gate. Ministers and officials would gather here at dawn waiting for the emperor to come. A temporary throne was set and the emperor would sit here to listen to memorandums presented to him by the kneeling ministers in the order of those in charge of the boards of Revenue, Rites, War, Works and Civil Office. Decisions would be made by the emperor. As the most diligent of the Qing emperors, Emperor Kangxi ruled for 61 years from 1662 to 1722 and made many important decisions at the Gate of Heavenly Purity. However, after the reign of Xianfeng (1851-1861), no more courts were held here.

In the north is Palace of Heavenly Purity
Go west to see Hall of Mental Cultivation
Go east to see Hall for Ancestry Worship & Six Eastern Palaces