A moon gate (Chinese: 月亮門; pinyin: yuèliàngmén) is a circular opening in a garden wall that acts as a pedestrian passageway. It is a traditional architectural element in Chinese gardens.
The shapes of the gates and their tiles carry various symbolic meanings. The sloping roofs of some gates represent the half moon of the Chinese summer, while the tips of the roof tiles are often adorned with talismanic ornaments.
The Chinese garden is a landscape garden style which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens of the Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and the more intimate gardens created by scholars, poets, former government officials, soldiers and merchants, made for reflection and escape from the outside world. They create an idealized miniature landscape, which is meant to express the harmony that should exist between man and nature.
The art of Chinese garden integrates architecture, calligraphy and painting, sculpture, literature, gardening and other arts. It is a model of Chinese aesthetics, reflecting the profound philosophical thinking and pursuit of life of the Chinese people. Among them, Chengde Mountain Resort and the Summer Palace, which belong to royal gardens, and several of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, which belong to private gardens, are also included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO. Many essential elements are used in Chinese gardens, and Moon Gate is one of them.