Zhonghua Gate (Chinese Gate) is the south gate of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. A precious cultural relic, Zhonghua Gate has the double distinction of being the biggest castle-style city gate in China and a structural element of the most complicated castle in the world. It is the castle's magnificent scale, delicate structure, and the great skill with which it was built that bequeath it an important place in China's military and architectural traditions.

The city wall of Nanjing was built from 1360 to 1386 by the founder of the Ming dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang was crowned Emperor, and made Nanjing his capital. The southern and eastern sections of the old city wall from the Tang dynasty were incorporated into the new wall. The northern and eastern sections were built afresh. The city wall was 33.676 kilometers long. It was 14-21meters high; 14.5 meters thick at its base, and 4.9m thick at the top. Thirteen gates were built into the wall, and the enclosed area was the largest of any walled city in China.

The gate today known as the Zhonghua Gate was then known as Jubao Gate (literally "Gathering Treasure Gate"). It was built on the site of the south gate of the capital city of the Southern Tang dynasty. It was the largest among the 13 gates of Nanjing. In 1931, after the Republic of China government established Nanjing as its capital, the gate was renamed Zhonghua Gate. In one sense, this reflects the triumph of the southern factions led by Chiang Kai-shek over the northern factions of the Beiyang government in Beijing, who had named the southern (main) gate of Beijing "Gate of China" to signify its status as "gate of the nation.”

The gate was made of huge strip stones 0.8 – 1.39 meters long, 0.7 meters wide and 0.26-0.35 thick and large Chinese brick 0.4 meters long 0.2 meters wide and 0.1 meters thick. Zhonghua Gate has weathered wind and rain for 600 years. It still holds its original state except for the wooden structure that was destroyed and some features on the wall constructed of sticks and stones. It is rare site in the world because of its vast scale and unsophisticated style.

It is very easy to visit Zhonghua Gate and it is located in the south of Nanjing, just a few minutes’ walk from the popular Confucius Temple historic district and bazaar.