The East Palace Gate ,oriented to the east,is the front gate of the Summer Palace .With two side doors for royal family members and court officials, and three grand doors in the middle exclusively for the Emperor, Empress and queen mother, the East Palace Gate directly represents Chinese culture concerning feudal hierarchy.
The summer palace literally means “Gardens of Nurtured Harmony”. There is a plaque hanging under the eaves of the gateway with three Chinese characters “颐和园” (The Summer Palace）in the calligraphy of Emperor Guangxu.
About 200 meters outside the superb East Palace Gate stands a wooden archway that visitors will see before arriving at the East Palace Gate, named Hanxu and Yanxiu Decorated Archway. ‘Hanxu’ in the east indicates ‘picturesque scenery’, and ‘Yanxiu’ in the west means ‘capturing beauty’.