Tiananmen Square is the best-known symbol of modern China.
With a surface area of 440,000 square meters, 880 meters long and 500 meters wide, this is the largest square in China, and the sixth largest in the world. It is especially well known as the location of two important historical events. It was here that Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and 50 years later it bore witness to the massacre of opponents of the Communist regime.
The square owes its name to the monumental Tiananmen Gate, or Gate of Heavenly Peace, which leads into the imperial city, which also comprises the Forbidden City, located a few hundred meters beyond.
The history of the square is closely bound to that of the Gate. Both were built in 1417, during the Ming dynasty; at that time the square was quite small, and mostly contained administrative offices.
During the war that brought the Qing dynasty to power, between 1645 and 1651, many of the buildings were destroyed. The square was expanded, and the gate was rebuilt and renamed Tiananmen, the name by which the square has been known since.
In the middle of the square, there used to be another gate, known as the Gate of China. This gate was demolished in 1954 to allow for a further expansion of the square, which reached its current size in August 1959.
Tiananmen Square is now one of the most frequently visited places in Beijing, not only by tourists, but also by many Chinese, who throng here every morning to watch the guard of honor raising the Five-Star Red Flag on a large standard.
The Square is home to the Mausoleum of Mao and the monument to the People’s Heroes. At opposite ends are the two Gates, Tiananmen and Qianmen, and at the sides, the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China.
An interesting fact: the Gate of Heavenly Peace has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 1970. Although it was rebuilt identical to the previous gate, it is 83 centimeters taller…. who knows why?
