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Private Day Tour: Mutianyu Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and Forbidden City

Tian’anmen Square

Opening Hours:

Basically the square is open one hour before the daily the Flag Raising Ceremony and close an hour after the Flag Lowering Ceremony.

They time the flag raising at the exact moment of sunrise and the flag lowering at the time of sunset in Beijing. So you can check the timetable for flag raisin and lowering and easily learn about the opening hours for Tiananmen Square.

Tickets: Free (But you have to make reservation at one day in advance by Wechat)

Address: Chang’an Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100009, China

Overview of Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) was first built in Ming Dynasty when Emperor Zhudi (朱棣) laid out the city of Beijing. It has been an imperial square enclosed by railings out the Forbidden Palace and civilians are forbidden to enter.

As more than 500 years passed. On 1st October 1949, Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of People’s Republic of China on Tiananmen Tower. Since then, Tiananmen Square becomes a symbol of national cohesion and prosperity of China.

Highlights of Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Tower

Tiananmen Tower was first built in 1417 and acted as the front gate to Forbidden City. During Qing and Ming Dynasties, Tiananmen Tower was the place for officials and eunuchs to issue the emperor’s proclamation. It could be open only in major occasions such as emperors’ wedding, enthronement and ceremonies to worship heaven or earth.

The 33.7 meter high Tiananmen Tower is made up of the tower with 60 giant columns. Above the doorways hangs a big portrait of Chairman Mao, and on its two sides you can read two slogans—“Long live the People’s Republic of China” and “Long live the Unity of People of Whole World”.

Monument to the People’s Heroes

With a height of 37.94 meter, Monument to the People’s Heroes is the largest monument in China’s history, also the first building after the founding of New China.

The monument is piled up by 17,000 pieces of granite and white marble. The lower part of platform shapes like a crabapple flower. The lower part inlaid with exquisite reliefs which depict the crucial events and showing a part of the centuries-old history of China. The front body of Monument inscribed with large, glazed words by Mao Zedong (毛泽东): Immortal to the People’s Heroes. The back part of the monument inscribed by Premier Zhou Enlai (周恩来) which read “Glory forever”.

Great Hall of the People

Great Hall of the people covers 170,000 square meters. It is mostly used for ceremonial activities, national meeting or other special events like large anniversary celebration, memorial service for former leaders etc. The largest meeting room in the hall offers 10,000 seats, and its largest banquet hall can serve 5,000 guests at any one time. In addition, more than 300 other rooms are available for meetings, leisure or office purposes.

Chairman Mao’s Memorial Hall

Chairman Mao’s Memorial Hall was built in 1977 to commemorate the founding leader Chairman Mao.I n the center of the hall, there is a three-meter high sitting statue of Mao Zedong made of white marble. The crystal coffin that carries the body of Mao Zedong is laid in the center of the memorial. Chairman Mao wears Zhongshan Suit and is covered by the party flag of the CPPCC. The base of the coffin is made of black granite from Taishan Mountain and Party emblems, national emblems, army emblems and the birthday and pass-away date of him have all been set on the base of it. The south hall is the place for visitors. The wall in the north is covered by the poetic lines of Mao Zedong, which have been made into the calligraphic style of him. The north hall is the entrance and the place to hold ceremonies. In the center of the hall stands the white marble sitting portrait of Mao Zedong, which looks vivid. Behind it is a large Chinese scroll painting, which has been named Motherland and unrolls the grand beauty of China.

National Museum of China

The Museum of Chinese History developed from the National History Museum which was constructed in 1912 at the site of Beijing Guozijian originally. Later it moved to the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and the Upright Gate (Duanmen) of the Forbidden City. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the government decided to build a new museum to the east of Tiananmen Square in August, 1958. Thereby, a new structure named the Museum of Chinese History was born in the next September. Currently, the museum is divided into two parts: the Revolution Museum on the northern side and the History Museum on the south.