The 1419 front gate of the Ming inner city — the only one of Beijing's nine inner-city gates to survive with both its gate tower and its archery tower — standing at the south end of Tiananmen Square. After six years of restoration the gate tower has reopened, timed to the second anniversary of the Central Axis World Heritage listing, with a permanent exhibition 'Majestic Zhengyang' and a ¥20 real-name ticket sold only on the Beijing Central Axis Heritage Conservation Centre's WeChat official account; the official notice names passports for booking and entry. The archery tower across the road reopened earlier, in December 2024.
AdmissionTicketedGate tower ¥20, concession ¥10; under 18 and 60+ free with ID (incl. foreigners)Verified · 2026-07Source ↗
HoursTue-Sun 9:00-17:00, last entry 16:30 (gate tower)Verified · 2026-07Source ↗
ClosedMondays except public holidaysVerified · 2026-07Source ↗
ReservationRequired · Timed entry
IDReal-name entry; passports are accepted.Verified · 2026-07Details ↓Source ↗
LandmarkSouth end of Tiananmen Square; the archery tower is across Qianmen East/West St to the south
AddressZhengyangmen gate tower, south end of Tiananmen Square, DongchengVerified · 2026-07Source ↗Navigate ↗
EntranceWest door of the gate tower, reached through the Tiananmen Square security checkpoint — Line 2/8 Qianmen Exit C or E2, or Line 1 Tiananmen West Exit B (official notice)
Last verified 2026-09-11Source: platforms and press
How to book
Gate tower: '北京中轴线遗产保护中心' WeChat official account only, tickets for the next 7 days released daily at 17:00, timed sessions, no same-day or on-site sales; refunds via the account until 24:00 on the day. Archery tower: not checkedVerified · 2026-07Source ↗
ID details
Real-name entry; passports are accepted. Real-name: non-mainland visitors book and check in with a passport, HK/Macau/Taiwan permits or a foreign permanent-residence card (official notice, 27 Jul 2026)
Beat the crowds
Newly reopened (July 2026): expect the 17:00 release to sell out for weekends through the autumn. The 9:00 session is quietest; the free guided tours run 9:30, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30 in Chinese.
Language
Free guided tours are in Chinese; exhibition labels are bilingual according to the reopening coverage (not confirmed on site). The notice and the booking account are Chinese only.