- BEIJING
TIANAMEN
Measuring 500m by 800m and lying in
the heart of Beijing is Tiananmen, the
most famous square in China. Hundreds
of buildings were demolished to create
this square which has been the site of
many historic events.
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On 1 October 1949, a million people gathered in the square to hear Chairman Mao Zedong (the first leader of the Chinese Communist Party) proclaim the birth of the Republic of China. From 1966 to 1976, Tiananmen Square was the venue of major rallies held during the Cultural Revolution. In 1989, pro-democracy demonstrations here were quelled by army tanks and soldiers. Today, the square is a magnet for shutterbugs jostling for a shot of the large portrait of Mao Zedong hanging above Tiananmen Gate. Admission to the square is free, but to ascend the top of the gate for a view of the square, you’ll have to pay a whopping Y30 (S$6). If you get to the square before 6am, you can watch a flag-rising ceremony performed by a troop of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers. South of the square is the Forbidden City. On the east lies the Museum of Chinese History and Revolution. This museum is Beijing's largest and it houses an exhibition on the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Opposite the museum is the Great Hall of the People, built in 1959 to house its Congress. In the middle is the Monument to the People’s Heroes. |
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