Gate of Supreme Harmony

The Gate of Supreme Harmony (simplified Chinese: 太和门; traditional Chinese: 太和門; pinyin: Tàihémén; Manchu: ᠠᠮᠪᠠᡥᡡᠸᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠮᠪᡠᡵᡝᡩᡠᡴᠠ; Möllendorff: amba hūwaliyambure duka) is the second major gate in the south of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.

The gate was originally built during the Ming dynasty, when it was called Fengtianmen (奉天門).

[1] The gate burned down in 1886 due to a fire started by a tipped lamp in the guard room.

In the Ming dynasty, the Emperor held morning court sessions at the Gate of Supreme Harmony to discuss state affairs with his ministers, although throughout most of the Ming dynasty the court sessions were purely ceremonial, a demonstration of the Emperor's diligence and the status of the titular first minister.

The gate and the Meridian Gate form the north and south boundaries of a great plaza that is divided by a serpentine waterway, the Inner River of the Golden Water, which is spanned by a set of five bridges.

The Gate of Supreme Harmony today.