What is the origin of Caochangmen in Nanjing?

Caochangmen, located in the west of Nanjing, was one of the additional gates of Nanjing Ming City Wall in the late Qing Dynasty.

Caochangmen, named after the large grassland in the city, is located between Dinghuaimen and Liangqingmen. There are Nanjing Art College, Jiangsu Second Normal College, Hohai University and other universities nearby. Caochangmen Street crosses the outer Qinhuai River via Caochangmen Bridge and reaches Longjiang and Bao Zhong Village in Hexi.

In the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty (1908), the traffic was convenient and it reached Qinhuai River Pier. Between Liangqingmen and Dinghuaimen in the west of the city, a grassland gate opened. Caochangmen is a single-hole arch coupon structure. The gate is about 20 meters deep and 6 meters wide.

In 1950s and 1960s, the urban demolition movement that swept through China spread to Nanjing. 1954, Caochangmen was demolished.

Caochangmen, the earliest demolished gate of Nanjing Ming City Wall, is still used as a place name. Its former site is located near Caochangmen Bridge East Bus Station.

Caochangmen Square is located at the intersection of Huju Road, Beijing West Road and Caochangmen Street in Gulou District, Nanjing. Caochangmen Bridge is an east-west urban bridge connecting the main urban area and Hexi area on Caochangmen Street, spanning Qinhuai River.