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South Red Gate

Updated: 2021-11-11

Nanhaizi's South Red Gate was built in 1414 when the Nanhaizi Royal Garden was built. 

It has three openings (one high and two low) through which the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties would go out to patrol Hebei province.

The Gate is located in the middle part of Nanhaizi Wall, but the remains have long since disappeared.

The clear Phoenix River flows from west to east, gurgling down the north side of South Red Gate, and connects with the seawater to form many fords near the gate, which resemble bright pearls scattered around it.

On the northeast side of the South Red Gate, there is a large ford, which is marked as a "fishing and hunting place" on the "Nanyuan Map" drawn during the Qing Dynasty.

According to historical records, hunting and fishing usually took place in March.

Spring is in the air, migratory birds return to the north, flocks of geese fly, and the emperor quietly circles the lake in a boat under the protection of guards. 

With the sudden sound of artillery, hundreds of birds would fly up. The emperor would shoot an arrow into the air. In a flash, a bird would fall and the emperor's hunt would be a success.

In the Qing Dynasty, due to the important geographical location of the South Red Gate, the Qing court sent the nobility to guard it. 

Local residents say the general who guarded the gate was surnamed "Hu". Together with other Manchu nobilities, they lived beside the gate and gradually formed a village.

At the beginning of the founding of People's Republic, the village was part of Hebei province. It's now a large administrative village in Qingyundian town, Daxing district of Beijing.