Xiaonanmen - Chongxi Gate Introduction
Taipei City is one of the last fortifications built during the Qing Dynasty. The city walls that once stood strong have now collapsed, leaving only a few remnants of the gates as historical witnesses. The walls of Taipei City were 4 meters wide and 5 meters high, surrounding an area of approximately 4 kilometers, making it a very solid fortress. Typically, a Chinese city wall has four gates, but Taipei City had five. It is said that the extra gate was specially donated by the wealthy Lin Benyuan family from Banqiao for the convenience of entry and exit. Although this legend has yet to be confirmed, the South Gate is indeed a very unique example in traditional Chinese fortification architecture. Unfortunately, although it and the East Gate and South Gate escaped destruction by the Japanese, it was later rebuilt in the style of Northern Chinese palace architecture after the Kuomintang government arrived in Taiwan. Only the base of the structure retains its original appearance, continuing to guard Taipei.
