1 正阳门
ZHENGYANGMEN

正阳门，俗称前门，原名丽正门。它坐落在北京城的南北中轴线上，是老北京内城的正门，至今已有近600年的历史了。由于这座城门在皇城的前边，民间把正阳门连同箭楼统称为前门。正阳门走什么车呢？走的是皇上坐的龙车，每年皇上去天坛、先农坛祭祀都从此门出入，亦称“龙门”。早年前门这地方繁华热闹，老百姓们都喜欢来这儿遛弯儿、游玩。这座城门楼子不仅是北京的地标建筑，也是古都北京的象征。

Zhengyangmen (the Gate of the Zenith Sun) whose original name was Lizhengmen was commonly known as “Qianmen” (the Front Gate).Situated on the North-South central axis of Beijing city, Zhengyangmen was the main entrance of the inner city of Old Beijing and has a history of nearly 600 years. Because this gate was in front of the Imperial City,local people referred to both Zhengyangmen and the Arrow Tower as“Qianmen”. What kind of cart would pass through Zhengyangmen?It was Imperial Chariot. Every year, the emperors would pass through this gate in their imperial chariots on the way to the Temple of Heaven and Xian Nong Tan (the Altar of Agriculture) to offer sacrifices, which was also called “Longmen” (the Dragon Gate). In the earlier times,Qianmen was not only a bustling, lively place, but also a favourite spot for locals to go for a stroll. This gate was the landmark of architecture in Beijing as well as the symbol of the ancient capital city.