Meaning: The collective name of the county government in the Ming Dynasty. It was named after the six doors installed outside the government office.
The only entrance and exit to the entire Yamen exterior wall is the gate located directly south of the central axis. This gate is also called the "head gate". It is not a simple doorway, but a building with a roof.
This kind of house-style door is a major feature of Chinese architecture. Its shape is strictly restricted by laws and etiquette. No matter how big the state or county, the door can only be three bays (the front door of the building is Bay, the transverse space between two columns is one room). Each room is equipped with two black painted doors, with a total of six doors, so state and county government offices are often commonly known as "six doors".
The origin of the six doors
In order to show majesty and grandeur, the ancient yamen opened six more doors. Later, six gates were used to refer to government offices and yamen.
The yamen is named after the door. In this building complex, the various portals are of course of paramount importance. But the most important ones are the main gate, the ceremonial gate and the house gate on the central axis.
The Forbidden City also has six doors.
Each door in the Forbidden City has three doors, each with two doors, totaling six.