In 1382, military commander Zhou Neng oversaw the construction of the Zhenyang Gate, the eastern entrance to Erhai Wei City. Built under the Hongwu Emperor‘s policy of garrisoning soldiers to farm and secure the frontiers, this gateway on Gulou East Street anchored a square city designed to resemble a massive imperial seal. The gate stood on a heavy brick-and-stone base, its vaulted archway aligned with the central Bell and Drum Tower. Outside, a drawbridge crossed a protective moat, leading past the upturned eaves of the Cangsheng Pavilion and Dongyue Palace. For centuries, the gate served as a checkpoint on the Yunnan-Tibet route of the Ancient Tea Horse Road, where merchants and pack animals paused before entering the city.

The stones of Zhenyang Gate carry the memory of a dramatic night. On April 18, 1936, the 18th Regiment of the 6th Division, Red Second Army Corps made a rapid march to capture the town. Under the cover of darkness, soldiers slipped past the damp, cool mouth of Qinghua Cave. By midnight, they surrounded the town. Near the gates, political commissar Yang Xiushan pressed his ear to the thick wood, hearing only the low, rhythmic bubbling of water pipes smoked by unsuspecting guards inside.

With a sudden, coordinated effort, soldiers rammed a massive wooden log against the south gate. The wood splintered, tearing a small opening. A nimble young soldier stripped off his heavy pack and squeezed through the jagged hole to open the doors from within. Gunfire erupted as the garrison fled, and soon the eastern Zhenyang Gate also fell under Red Army control. By dawn, the Red Army controlled the town, and local residents emerged to trade under the morning sun.

Today, Zhenyang Gate is protected as a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Site as part of the Tea Horse Road (Xiangyun section). Visitors can walk through the restored vaulted passageway, tracing the path where Ming dynasty soldiers, tea merchants, and revolutionary forces left their marks on Yunnan‘s history.