Photography Memorial Pailou Arch in Front of the Front Gate

A black-and-white photograph showing the five-part memorial pailou 牌樓 of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) in front of Zhengyang Gate (Zhengyangmen 正陽門), better known as Front Gate (Qianmen 前門). On the main street under the memorial triumphal arch, we see the hustle and bustle of the city – pedestrians, bicycles, and rickshaw drivers.

The memorial triumphal arch is a traditional architectural element in China. It is usually erected to commemorate an important person or as an entrance to important places. The memorial triumphal arch with its multi-part structure arches over several parallel streets. They are usually built of wood or stone and have three passages, the main passage in the middle and two side passages. The more important the person was, the more passages the memorial triumphal arch had. The communist regime demolished many of the city’s arches, viewing them as remnants of feudalism.

The photograph is the 122nd of 449 photographs of Beijing and its surroundings in the album of Ivan Skušek Jr., purchased during his stay in Beijing (1914–1920). In the handwritten inventory of the album, the photograph is referred to as Ming-Pailou vor Tsien-Men. (DZ, MV)