Tian’anmen square located at the center of Beijing City.It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres), and able to accommodate 1,000,000 people at one time.It is the must place to visit in Beijing City.
Tian’anmen Tower
Constructed during the reign of Ming Yongle in 1420, the tower has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Originally, it was a three-storey timberwork in the form of paifang of the imperial building named Gate of Accepting Heavenly Mandate (Chengtian Gate). In 1457, it was damaged by lightning and was completely burnt down. Eight years later, Tian’anmen was rebuilt as a five-bay-wide and three-bay-deep gatehouse. In year 1644, the seventeenth year of the reign of Chongzhen (1627-1644), Gate of Accepting Heavenly Mandate suffered another blow in the war. It was burnt down by rebels led by Li Zicheng who attacked Beijing. In year 1661, the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Shunzhi (1644-1661) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the gate was given its present name when a massive remodeling lasting for six years completed. The Chinese name of the gate, Tiananmen, is made up of three Chinese characters “heaven”, “peace” and “gate”, hence the translated version “The Gate of Heavenly Peace”. To be more accurate, this name is derived from the much longer phrase “receiving the mandate from heaven and stabilizing the dynasty”. Later Tiananmen underwent two reconstruction works in year 1688 and in year 1952 separately. After standing there for more than 500 years, the gate had badly deteriorated and it was then rebuilt again in 1970. The external appearance of the gatehouse remained the same as it was in year 1651, although it is 83 centimeters higher from the original height 33.87m to 34.7m.
Since November 1987, Tiananmen Tower began to be open to the public and common people can step on the tower and overlook Tiananmen Square just as the state leaders once did. It has always been a lure for tons of tourists from all over the world.
Monument to the People’s Heroes
Monument to the People’s Heroes commemorates the martyrs who devoted their lives to the Chinese people. It reaches 37.94 meters (124 feet) which makes it the biggest monument in Chinese history. The body is made of hardy granite and is surrounded by white balusters. Engraved is the epigraph written by Mao Zedong, the founder of People’s Republic of China. Eight reliefs depict the crucial events which took place in modern times, showing a part of the centuries-old history of China.
Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao
Mao Zedong, the first chairman of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is greatly admired by the Chinese People. The foundation of the building was laid in November 1976 while the inauguration ceremony was held on September 1977. Chairman Mao Memorial Hall covers an area of 57.2 thousand square meters, 220m from east to west and 280m from south to north. Above the main gate of the mausoleum, a white marble plaque with golden words: “Chairman Mao Memorial Hall” was beset. Forty-four granite posts stand on the large burgundy granite base, holding the golden glazed double-eaved roof. It is divided into three halls: the main hall, the north hall and the south hall. The remains of Mao Zedong are laid in a crystal coffin in the main hall. From the exhibit in the north hall, you can learn something about Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai and other founders of the state. While visiting the main hall, it is necessary to observe a respectful silence.
National Museum of China
The National Museum of China is located on the east side of Tian’an Men Square in Beijing. It is the largest comprehensive history museum in China. Through display of both material and non-material collections and exhibits, it narrates the history created by the ancestors of the Chinese people.
The National Museum is built on the twin foundations of the former China History Museum and the former China Revolutionary Museum in 2003. The new museum is currently undergoing expansion. It has extremely rich collections and the excellence of its exhibits and depth of its research are second to none
.The Great Hall of People
This building, erected in 1959, is the site of the China National People’s Congress meetings and provides an impressive site for other political and diplomatic activities.Twelve marble posts are infront of the Hall which has three parts–the Central Hall, the Great Auditorium and a Banqueting Hall.The floor of the Central Hall is paved with marble and crystal lamps hang from the ceiling. The Great Auditorium behind the Central Hall seats 10,000. The Banqueting Hall is a huge hall with 5,000 seats.
Front Gates
Zhengyangmen was first built in 1419 during the Ming Dynasty and once consisted of the gatehouse proper and an archery tower, which were connected by side walls and together with side gates, formed a large barbican. The gate guarded the direct entry into the imperial city. The city’s first railway station, known as the Qianmen Station, was built just outside the gate. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, the gate sustained considerable damage when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded the city. The gate complex was extensively reconstructed in 1914. The Barbican side gates were torn down in 1915.
After the Communist victory in 1949, the Zhengyangmen gatehouse was occupied by the Beijing garrison of the People’s Liberation Army. The military vacated the gatehouse in 1980, which has now become a tourist attraction. At 42 metres high, the Zhengyangmen gatehouse was, and remains, the tallest of all gates in Beijing’s city wall. Zhengyangmen gatehouse survived the demolition of city walls in the late 1960s during the construction of the Beijing Subway. While others such as the Deshengmen in the north and Dongbianmen in the southeast only have their archery towers standing. Xibianmen retains only part of its barbican. Yongdingmen‘s gatehouse was rebuilt in 2007.
Today, Qianmen Avenue (Dajie) cuts between the Zhengyangmen gatehouse and the archery tower to the south. Line 2‘s Qianmen Station is also located between the two structures inside the space once surrounded by the barbican.
Tian’anmen square Tours
