Zhonghua Gate

Nanjing, Jiangsu · China · Fortress

Beneath Nanjing's colossal city gate a magic treasure bowl is said to lie buried — and the builders' sighs to linger in the vaults.

Zhonghua Gate, the largest surviving city gate in the world, refused at first to be built: according to legend its walls collapsed again and again into the soft ground. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang is said to have seized the magic bowl of the merchant Shen Wansan, which multiplied whatever was placed inside it, and buried it beneath the foundations — hence the gate's old name Jubaomen, the Gate of Gathered Treasure. Every brick bears its maker's name, and any man whose brick cracked was punished without mercy. Night watchmen through the centuries have spoken of sighs and dragging footsteps in the empty vaults, as if the builders had never been allowed to go home.

FAQ

Where is Zhonghua Gate located?

Zhonghua Gate is in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.

More haunted places in Nanjing, Jiangsu

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.