Tian’anmen Square is the spiritual heart of the world’s most populous country. It earned this distinction by serving as the stage for momentous historical events, like the demonstrations on May 4th 1919 that inspired young Chinese to fight imperialists and warlords, and build a strong independent country. Among those swept up in the ferment of the “ May Fourth Movement” was Mao Zedong who would help found the Communist Party of China two years later.
On October 1st, 1949, Mao climbed at the “ Gate of Heavenly Peace”, which gives the square its name, to proclaim the foundation of the People’s Republic of China.
In 1949, Tian’anmen Square was a narrow walled plaza, but it was expanded in the 1950’s to its present size of 400,000 m2. The site of major parades, the square has also played host to impromptu celebrations as when Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympic Games.
Most days Tian’anmen Square is filled with sightseers and kite-flyers. During national holidays, it’s usually festooned with banners and floral decorations. Many Chinese visit at dawn or dusk to see elite People’s liberation army troops conduct flag raising or lowering ceremonies.
On the square’s north end is the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which leads towards the Forbidden City. Above the gate hangs the famous portrait of Chairman Mao. On both sides of the gate are inscriptions in Chinese: the one on the left says, “ Long Live the People’s Republic of China”; the one on the right declares, “ Long Live the Unity of the People of the World” For a panoramic view of the square, ascend to the top of the Gate, where Mao proclaimed the establishment of the PRC.
In the center of the square is the 40m-high Monument to the People’s Heroes, an obelisk with friezes depicting revolutionary heroes and calligraphy by Mao Zedong and former Premier Zhou Enlai. South of the monument is the Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, where you can peer at the embalmed figure of the Great Helmsman in his glass casket. Standing guard over the suqare’s southern end, behind the mausoleum, is 600-year-old Qianmen one of the few remaining Ming-era city gates.
Tian’anmen Square is the spiritual heart of the world’s most populous country. It earned this distinction by serving as the stage for momentous historical events, like the demonstrations on May 4th 1919 that inspired young Chinese to fight imperialists and warlords, and build a strong independent country. Among those swept up in the ferment of the “ May Fourth Movement” was Mao Zedong who would help found the Communist Party of China two years later.
