The Zhengyang Bridge site, an important node on the Beijing Central Axis located near the Archery Tower at Qianmen, just south of Tiananmen Square, has been added to the ninth batch of municipal-level cultural relic protection units.

Initially constructed in 1419, the 17th year of the Yongle Emperor's reign during the Ming Dynasty, the Zhengyang Gate, nicknamed the "Capital Gate," once consisted of a gatehouse and an archery tower, which were connected by side walls and gates. It was built to guard the southern entry to the Inner City. It would only open when emperors passed through to the Outer City to make offerings at the Temple of Heaven or to conduct farming at the Temple of Agriculture. 

The gatehouse was built first, with the stone bridge, archery tower, and other buildings following in 1439, the fourth year of Emperor Yingzong's reign.

In 2021, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau launched an archaeological excavation project at the site and unearthed a stone water statue. The crucial discovery helped archeologists better understand the location and shape of the site.

Additionally, the southern section of the Imperial Road pedestrian route along the Beijing Central Axis, which is another cultural protection unit, has been incorporated into the remains of Yongdingmen Imperial Road and renamed the Southern Section of the Central Axis Road Remains.

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