The ‘Little South Gate,’ formally Chongximen, was the fifth and most unusual gate in Taipei’s 1880s city wall — most Chinese walled cities had four. The original was lost in the Japanese era and the present arch was rebuilt in Northern Chinese style. A calm historic stop in Zhongzheng.
The ‘Little South Gate,’ formally Chongximen, was the fifth and most unusual gate in Taipei’s 1880s city wall — most Chinese walled cities had four. The original was lost in the Japanese era and the present arch was rebuilt in Northern Chinese style. A calm historic stop in Zhongzheng.
Updated June 20, 2026
MapVisualize where this fits in your day (and plan nearby pairings).
A few good pairings within easy reach of this spot.
Quick facts資訊
CostHoursTime neededGetting thereBest time / forGood to knowDistrictFormal namePart ofBest for
Highlights亮點Xiaonanmen is a great ‘if you’re nearby’ stop: it adds a historic punctuation mark to your day without a big detour or a ticket. If you like travel that feels layered — modern streets plus historic fragments — this is a perfect micro-stop.
It also has a genuinely good story behind it, which makes the few minutes you spend here more rewarding than a quick glance suggests.
Taipei’s city wall was built between 1882 and 1884, running nearly five kilometres around the old walled city, pierced by gates. Most Chinese walled cities had four gates — Taipei had five. The extra one was the Little South Gate, and tradition holds it was added for the convenience of the wealthy Lin family of Banqiao, though this has never been proven.
Its formal name is Chongximen (重熙門), often translated ‘Gate of Abundant Prosperity.’
Much of the wall and its gates were torn down during the Japanese colonial period. The gates that survived into the post-1945 era — including the Little South Gate — were rebuilt in a Northern Chinese palace style, so their original Qing appearance was not preserved. Only the North Gate keeps its original form today, which makes the others a slightly romanticised version of old Taipei.
Xiaonanmen makes the most sense as one stop on a self-guided tour of Taipei’s surviving gates. The old wall’s gates are scattered across the modern Zhongzheng grid within walking distance of one another — the North Gate, East Gate, and South Gate among them — and stringing them together turns a series of brief glances into a genuine sense of the walled city’s footprint. Done on foot, the loop also threads past the museum district and the historic core’s cafés, so it never feels like a dry monument crawl.
Of the gates, this is the quiet one, and that’s part of its charm. While the grander gates anchor busy intersections, the Little South Gate tends to be calm, with its odd origin story — the unexplained ‘fifth gate’ — giving curious walkers something to mull over. Come in soft morning or late-afternoon light, when the rebuilt palace-style roof photographs at its best.
The best way to enjoy Xiaonanmen is as connective tissue: a moment of history between two bigger anchors. The nearest MRT is Xiaonanmen Station on the green line, named after the gate, which makes it easy to drop into a walking loop.
Quick answers to common planning questions.
Official pages and references for planning details.
Hand-picked next reads to make your Taipei plan smoother.
Taipei’s most famous pedestrian shopping area—bright signage, pop culture, and a steady stream of snacks and late-night eats. Compact, walkable, and endlessly photogenic, it’s the city’s easiest ‘Taipei at night’ to dive into on day one.
Read more →
A central district for big cultural landmarks and museum-style sightseeing—ideal for your ‘classic Taipei’ day. Home to the CKS Memorial Hall, Liberty Square, and the city’s great national museums, it’s where Taipei tells its public story.
Read more →
Not a ‘romantic’ neighborhood, but incredibly useful: the city’s central transit nerve center, easy day-trip logistics, and a fast way to move between districts. Understanding it makes the rest of your trip run smoother.
Read more →Taipei’s grandest surviving city gate, completed in 1884 as the main south gate of the Qing-era walled city. Formally named Lizhengmen — the ‘(Main) Gate of Beauty’ — it now sits on a busy traffic circle in Zhongzheng, pairing beautifully with the Nanhai Road museum cluster and an easy historic-core walking day.
Read more →
Built in 1884 as one of five gates in Taipei’s Qing-dynasty city wall, Jingfumen (景福門) is the grandest survivor — though a 1966 “beautification” remodel gave it today’s northern-Chinese palace look. It stands on a traffic island where Zhongshan South Road meets Ketagalan Boulevard, an easy free stop in the historic core.
Read more →
A restored Japanese-era temple complex on the edge of Ximending, where a bell tower, wooden Rinbansho residence, and the brick-and-timber Tree Heart Hall now form a free, photogenic public square — a calm heritage pause between Beimen, Ximending, and the historic core.
Read more →Start with a simple loop: one neighborhood stroll, one iconic sight, and one night market. Taipei rewards balance.
Tip: hours, prices, and seasonal schedules can change. When something matters (like a museum ticket or a special exhibition), check the official listing before you go.