The Tian'anmen Square, in the geographical center of Beijing, is said to be the largest downtown square in the world. It covers an area of 44 square meters and can hold one million people. It measures some 880 meters from the red wall of the Tian'anmen Rostrum in the north to the south gate; from the Museum of Chinese History and Revolution and in the east to the Great Hall of the People in the west, it is about 500 meters.
Tian'anmen square is named after its magnificent Tian'anmen Rostrum (Gate of Heavenly Peace), which is honored as the Gate of the Nation. Today it is the place for celebrations on such festivals as International Labor Day and National Day.
With the Monument to the People's Heroes at the center, Tiananmen Square has The Tiananmen Rostrum in the north, The Chairman Mao's Museum in the south, the National Museum of China in the east and the Great Hall of the People in the west.
Tian'anmen Rostrum
Tian'anmen Rostrum was first built in 1417 and named Chengtianmen (the Gate of Heavenly Succession). When it was rebuilt under the Qing Dynasty in 1651, it was renamed Tian'anmen.
The birthday of New China
On October 1st, 1949, the late Chairman Mao declared the founding of the People's Republic of China on the Tiananmen Rostrum. Since then Tian'anmen has been the symbol of New China.
Symbolism of number
The tower at the top of the gate is nine-room wide and five-room deep. According to the Book of Changes, when the two numbers of nine and five combine, symbolize the supreme status of a sovereign.
State ceremonies
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tian'anmen was the place where state ceremonies took place. The most important one of them was the issuing of imperial edicts, which followed these steps:
- The Minister of Rites would receive the edict in Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), where the Emperor was holding his court. The minister would then carry the decree on a yunpan (tray of cloud), and withdraw from the hall via Taihemen (Gate of supreme Harmony)
- The Minister would put the tray in a miniature longting (dragon pavilion). Beneath a yellow umbrella and carry it via Wumen (Meridian Gate), to Tian'anmen Gate tower.
- A courtier would be invested to proclaim the edict. The civil and military officials lining both sides of the gateway beneath the tower would prostrate themselves in the direction of the emperor in waiting for the decree to the proclaimed.
- The courtier would then put the edict in a phoenix-shaped wooden box and lower it from the tower by means of a silk cord. The document would finally be carried in a similar tray of cloud under a yellow umbrella to the Ministry of Rites.
- The edict, copied on yellow paper, would be made known to the whole country.
Two Huge Stone Lions
The two stone lions by the gate of Tian'anmen, one on each side, were meant as sentries. They gaze toward the middle axis, guarding the emperor's walkway.
Huabiao
In front of the Tian'anmen Rostrum stands a pair of marble columns called Huabiao. They are elaborately cut in bas-relief following the pattern of legendary dragon. Behind the gate stands another pair of similar columns. The story of Huabiao may be traced to a couple of sources.
The beast
Sitting on the top of the column, the beast is called "hou," a legendary animal, which is said to have been a watcher of an emperor's behavior. He was doing such duties as warning the emperor against staying too long outside the palace or indulging in pleasure and urging him to go to the people for their complaints or return in due time. Therefore, the two pairs of beasts were given the names "wangjunhui" (Expecting the emperor's coming back) and "wangjunchu" (Expecting the emperor' going out) respectively.
Outer Golden River and Bridges
The river in front of Tian'anmen is called Outer Golden River with seven marble bridges spanning over it. The middle one was for the exclusive use of the emperor and was accordingly called Yuluqiao (imperial Bridge). The bridges flanking it on either side were meant for the members of the royal family land were therefore called Wanggongqiao (Royals' Bridges).
Farther away on each side of the two were bridges for officials ranking above the third order and were named Pingjiqiao (Ministerial Bridges). The remaining two bridges were for the use by the retinue below the third order and were called Gongshengqiao (Common Bridges). They are the one in front of the supreme Ancestral Temple to the east and the one in front of the Altar of Land and Grain to the west.
Monument to the People's Heroes
The Monument to the People's Heroes dominates the center of Tian'anmen Square. Its construction began on August 1, 1952 and was not completed until 1958. It was built in memory of thousands of martyrs who died for the revolutionary cause of the Chinese people. It was made of more than 17,000 pieces of granite and white marble.
- Engraved inscription On the front side of the Monument is an engraved inscription in Chinese characters written by Chairman Mao Zedong, which reads "Eternal Glory to the People's Heroes." On the back of the Monument is an article written by Chairman Mao, But in Chinese calligraphy by the late premier Zhou Enlai.
- Carved wreathes At the top of the Monument are eight gigantic carved wreathes of such flowers as peony, lotus and chrysanthemum, symbolizing nobility, purity, and fortitude.
- Eight marble relieves At the base of the monument are eight marble reliefs depicting the Chinese historic events since 1840.
Chairman Mao's Museum
The Chairman Mao's Museum began to be constructed in November 1976 and was completed in August the following year in order to honor the founder of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao Zedong.
The Mausoleum is surrounded by four groups of sculpture. Inside the Mausoleum, a white marble statue of Chairman Mao is mounted on a platform in the front lobby. In the main hall there is a crystal coffin, in which Chairman Mao's body lies stately with the communist Party's flag covering over him. On the wall of the southern lobby, a poem by Chairman Mao and in his own calligraphy is inscribed in gold inlay. It expresses his full great expectations for the country.
Great Hall of the People
To the west of Tian'anmen Square lies the Great Hall of the People, one of the truly grand modern structures of Beijing. Its green and yellow glazed-tile roof, magnificent portico and colonnades, and rows of pines and cypresses create a look both solemn and immense. Construction was completed over a 10-month period in 1959.
Through the great bronze doors is a spacious lobby leading to the Central Hall. The Auditorium, with simultaneous interpretation equipment for each of its 9,700 seats, lies to the west, the Banquet Hall to the north, and the offices of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to the south.
National Museum of China
The National Museum of China, a four-storied main building with two symmetrical wings, runs more than 300 meters north and south along the eastern side of Tian'anmen Square. The predecessors of the National Museum are two museums: the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution, which shared the same building complex.
It is a comprehensive museum with an emphasis on Chinese art and history. The National Museum of Chinese History has more than 3,000,000 precious articles which provide a vivid portrayal of Chinese history. In the National Museum of the Chinese Revolution there are displays of over 4,500 articles, including literature, pictures, drawings and sculptures. These depict the people's revolutions and movements to save China, which happened after the Opium War in 1840.
Workers' Cultural Palace
The Workers' Cultural Palace lies to the east of Tian'anmen Rostrum. The large park stretches from Tian'anmen Rostrum in the south to the Forbidden City moat, and from the East Thousand Bu Corridor before the Imperial Palace in the west to the eastern palace walls-fully one half the width of the Forbidden City. The park was originally built in 1420 as a large-scale temple.
Qian Men (Zhengyangmen)
At the southern end of the square stands the Qianmen also known as Zhengyangmen Gate, which is the symbol of Old Beijing. It was built in 1420 in the early Ming Dynasty and renovated in 1989. In the old days the wall was guarded by watchtowers placed at regular intervals around the perimeter. The double gate system played an important role in repulsing enemy attacks.
If the first gate were breached, the enemy would still find themselves outside the city wall and would be fired upon from the tower over the inner gate. Qianmen is one of the few remaining gates of the Beijing city wall, and the highest gate in Beijing with the Chinese traditional characteristic. Since Jan 21, 1990, it opens to public.