Deshengmen

The Deshengmen archery tower

Deshengmen at night with the barbican in the foreground

Deshengmen (simplified Chinese: 德胜门; traditional Chinese: 德勝門; pinyin: Déshèngmén; Manchu: Erdemu i etehe duka; lit. "Gate of Virtuous Triumph") is the name of a city gate that was once part of Beijing's northern city wall. It is one of Beijing's few preserved city gates and now stands as a landmark on the northern 2nd Ring Road. ^[1]

The original gate complex, built in 1437, was composed of three structures – the gatehouse, archery tower, and barbican. The gatehouse proper was demolished in 1921, and the city wall was torn down in 1969. Today only the archery tower and the barbican survives. They overlook the northern city moat, and house an ancient coin exhibition inside.

Deshengmen is now a major transportation node in northern Beijing. The gate complex is surrounded by the Deshengmen bridge, a rotary overpass that channels traffic from the 2nd Ring Road to the Badaling Expressway. The street that once passed through the gate is still named in relation to it. South of Deshengmen and inside the old city wall is Deshengmen Inner Street. To the north, it is called Deshengmen Outer Street.

Deshengmen means "Gate of Virtuous Triumph." In traditional times, the imperial military would march out of Beijing through Deshengmen, and return through Andingmen, the Gate of Peace and Stability.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deshengmen.

Public transportation

Line 2 of the Beijing Subway stops near Deshengmen at Jishuitan Station. Deshengmen is the terminus for Public Bus 305, 315, 344, 345, 345快, 380, 625, 670, 872, 877, 880, 880快, 881, 883, 886, 888, 889, 919 and 919快. In addition, bus routes 5, 27, 44, 55, 409, 625, 635, 885, 909, 特12, 特13, 夜2, 夜20, and 夜36 stop nearby. Bus 877 is a tourist bus that goes to Badaling Great Wall.

Coordinates: 39°56′54.8″N 116°22′23.0″E / 39.948556°N 116.373056°E / 39.948556; 116.373056

References

Old city of Beijing
Subdivisions	Inner City Outer City Imperial City Forbidden City
Fortifications and towers	Yongdingmen Gate Zhengyangmen Gate Zhonghuamen Tiananmen Gate Deshengmen Gate Bell and Drum towers
Forbidden City	Meridian Gate Gate of Supreme Harmony Hall of Mental Cultivation Hall of Supreme Harmony Hall of Central Harmony Hall of Preserving Harmony Palace of Heavenly Purity Hall of Union Palace of Earthly Tranquility Gate of Divine Might
Imperial gardens, temples and offices	Jingshan Park Beihai Park Zhongnanhai Taimiao (Imperial Ancestral Temple) Zhongshan Park Confucius Temple Guozijian Beijing Ancient Observatory Beijing Zoo Old Summer Palace Summer Palace Fragrant Hills Jade Spring Hill Temple of Heaven Temple of Earth Temple of the Sun Temple of the Moon Xiannongtan (Temple of Agriculture)
Temples and gardens	Shichahai Yonghe Temple Fayuan Temple White Cloud Temple Zhenjue Temple Miaoying Temple Wanshou Temple Temple of Azure Clouds Badachu Dongyue Temple Guanghua Temple Tanzhe Temple Wofo Temple Big Bell Temple Bailin Temple Guangji Temple Fahai Temple Changchun Temple Zhihua Temple Yunju Temple Tianning Temple
Mosques and churches	Xuanwumen Cathedral Xishiku Cathedral Xizhimen Cathedral Wangfujing Cathedral St. Michael's Church Niujie Mosque