Deshengmen, Historic city gate in northern Beijing, China

Deshengmen is a city gate in northern Beijing, with two surviving structures: a rectangular archery tower and a barbican that looks out over the northern city moat. The two buildings follow the typical layout of a Ming dynasty gate, with openings for defense and passage that once controlled entry to the city.

The gate was built in 1437 during the Ming dynasty and served as one of ten outer gates controlling access to the imperial district of Beijing. Over the centuries, parts of the complex were demolished, but the archery tower and the barbican were kept standing.

The name Deshengmen means "Gate of Virtuous Triumph". In imperial times the army marched out of Beijing through this gate and returned through Andingmen, the Gate of Peace and Stability. The archery tower's walls are pierced by 82 arrow slits, twelve on each wide face and four on each narrow one.

The gate is a short walk from Jishuitan Station on Subway Line 2, making it easy to reach from the city center. Going in the morning gives you a chance to look at the structures without large groups around.

Inside the preserved archery tower, there is a collection of old Chinese coins covering many dynasties, something most visitors do not expect to find there. The display gives a concrete sense of daily economic life across the different periods that shaped this part of the city.