Stand before Ying'en Gate, and you are looking at the last remaining threshold of ancient Dongguan. Built in 1384 during the Ming Dynasty, this structure served as the city’s western entrance. Its name translates to "welcoming royal grace." Imperial officials traveling from Guangzhou arrived by the western waterways, making this specific gate their first point of contact with the city.

Commander Chang Yi of the Nanhai Guard directed its construction as part of a massive defensive wall spanning nearly four kilometers. The fortification protected the city from coastal pirates and served a crucial environmental purpose. During the heavy summer rains, residents stacked sandbags against the gate's heavy doors to hold back floodwaters.

The structure you see today is a composite of different eras. The foundation consists of original Ming Dynasty red sandstone. The upper tower, featuring a traditional double-eave hip-and-gable roof, was reconstructed in 1958. Builders topped it with green glazed tiles salvaged from the dismantled Zifu Temple. Originally, a single archway pierced the base. In the 1970s, city planners added two smaller flanking arches to accommodate the flow of modern traffic.

The connecting walls and the other three city gates fell to war, urban expansion, and time. Ying'en Gate endured. It anchors the surrounding West Gate Tower Cultural Square, bridging centuries of local history. The gate remains an active part of civic life, serving as a dramatic backdrop for modern milestones, including the passage of the 2010 Asian Games torch relay directly through its ancient arches.