Dongan Men Remains

Lonely Planet review

In an excavated pit on Beiheyan Dajie sits a pitiful stump, all that remains of the magnificent Dongan Men, the east gate of the Imperial City. The gate was a single-eaved, seven-bay wide building with a hip and gable roof capped with yellow tiles. The remnants - just two layers of 18 bricks - may make for dull viewing but of more interest are the accompanying bricks of the excavated Ming dynasty road that used to run near Dongan Men.

The road is around 2m lower than the current road level, its expertly made bricks typical of precisely engineered Ming dynasty brickwork. The remains are located in the Imperial Wall Foundation Ruins Park, a thin strip of park that follows much of the course of the eastern side of the Imperial City Wall.