Xiaonanmen (Little South Gate)_Chongxi Gate

Taipei City was one of the last cities built during the Qing Dynasty's rule. Although the city walls have long since crumbled, several gate relics remain as witnesses to history. The walls of Taipei City were 4 meters wide, 5 meters high, and approximately 4 kilometers long, making it a very robust fortress. While typical Chinese city walls have four gates, Taipei City had five. It is said that the extra gate was specially donated and built by the wealthy Lin Benyuan family from Banqiao at the time, for their convenience. Although this legend has not been confirmed, Xiaonanmen is indeed a very unique example in Chinese city architecture. Unfortunately, while it, along with the East Gate and South Gate, escaped destruction by the Japanese, it was later rebuilt in the style of a northern Chinese palace tower after the arrival of the Nationalist government in Taiwan. Only the original gate base remains, continuing to guard Taipei.