A moon gate () is a circular opening in a garden wall that acts as a pedestrian passageway. It is a traditional architectural element in

Chinese garden The Chinese garden is a landscape garden style which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens of the Emperor of China, Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and t ...

s. The shapes of the gates and their tiles have different spiritual meanings. The sloping roofs of a gate represent the half moon of the Chinese summers, and the tips of the tiles of the roof have talismans on the ends of them. Moon gates were incorporated into the architecture of Bermuda in the late 19th century, around the same time that the

British territory British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

began importing Easter lily bulbs from Japan for cultivation. Bermudan moon gates are slightly different from the original Chinese designs, as they are often left freestanding or attached to a low wall. In Bermuda, it is regarded as good luck for newlyweds to step through the gate.

Gallery

Image:20090905_Suzhou_Couple's_Retreat_Garden_4442.jpg, Moon gate at Couple's Retreat Garden in the Classical Gardens of Suzhou File:HK Lai Chi Kok Park Chinese Arch 1.JPG, Lai Chi Kok Park Chinese Arch File:HK LikWingTongStudyHall MoonGate.JPG, Tong Study Hall moon gate File:Zhonghe 8-23 park.jpg, Zhonghe park Image:Moon Gate.jpg, Moon Gate, National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, National Arboretum, Washington, DC File:Met, chinese gate.JPG, Entrance to the Astor Court, a Ming-style garden at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

File:A Moon gate in Great Wave Pavilion 2012-03.JPG, Moon gate in Great Wave Pavilion

References

Architecture in China Chinese gardening styles Garden features Architectural elements {{Garden-stub