Zhonghua Gate (中华门) is the largest and best-preserved gate complex of the Nanjing Ming city wall. Built between 1369 and 1384, it comprises four arched gateway passages set one behind the other, creating a defensive killing ground — an enemy who broke through the first gate would find themselves trapped in a courtyard with walls on all sides before reaching the second. The construction used 100 million bricks over 21 years.
The site is open as a museum. You can walk along the top of the walls, explore the hidden soldier caves inside the wall, and get a strong sense of how the fortification worked. The external face of the gate — best seen from outside, on the south side — is massive and photogenic. The location at the southern edge of the old city makes it convenient to combine with the Qinhuai River and Confucius Temple nearby.