Located at the center of Beijing, Tian'anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) is the symbol of the People's Republic of China. Started to be built in 1417, the gate was formally called Chengtianmen (Gate of Heavenly Succession), which was then the front gate of the Imperial City. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the uprising farmers led by Li Zicheng entered the city, but later when the Qing army marched upon Beijing, the Chengtianmen was destroyed under the crossfire. It was rebuilt in 1651 with the name changed into "Tian'anmen".

In ancient times, ceremonies of great importance, such as promulgating an imperial edict conferring the title of a queen, or announcing a newly enthroned emperor, were all held on the Tian'anmen Rostrum and then made known to the public all over the country. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Imperial Exam system for choosing high-ranking officials by way of a palace examination was in vogue, and the examination was carried out under the supervision of the emperor himself. Hose who came off the first three were entitled and they would have the honor to be granted an audience by the emperor two days after the examination. On that day they would be called in to see the emperor in turn. The very place for doing the ceremony was right in the Tian'anmen Rostrum.

In front of the Tian'anmen Rostrum there's a square running 880 meters from south to north and 500 meters from east to west, that's the very center of Beijing--Tian'anmen Square. Covering an area of 44 hectares, thus, Tian'anmen Square is the largest city square in the world.

With a long history behind it, the Tian'anmen Square used to be a piece of land in front of the Imperial Palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties, an open space jetting out towards the south from the Tian'anmen Gate. It was meant to set of the outstanding importance of the Tian'anmen Gate and the Imperial City. In the early days of the Ming Dynasty a gate of brick and stone was built right on the site of the present Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao Zedong, and then was called Damingmen (Gate of the Great Ming). It was renamed as Daqingmen (Gate of Great Qing) in the Qing Dynasty and Zhonghuamen (Gate of China) after 1911 successively. Afterwards another two gates were added on both sides of the avenue in front the gate, also of a brick and stone structure. Encircled with a newly built red wall, the area within the three gates formed a small Tian'anmen Square of merely 11 hectares.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties the Tian'anmen Square was forbidden to the common people. When officials got to the front of the gate they had to get off horses and proceed on foot into the palace. Lined outside the wall on the east and west were the government offices. The civil service organizations occupied the eastern part of the square, and the military organizations on the west according the traditional system.

After the overthrown of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the old buildings in the square were put down. Tian'anmen Sqaure was enlarged in 1957 with an area of 44 hectares, which may hold 1 million people at a time. Towering in the center of the square is the Monument to the People's Heroes with Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall right behind it. To the east is the National Museum of China and to the west the Great Hall of People (National People's Congress building).

   

Built in 1952, the Monument to the People's Heroes is the largest monument in China's history. "The People's Heroes are Immortal" written by Chairman Mao is engraved on the monument. Eight unusually large relief sculptures show the development of Chinese modern history and those who contributed their lives to the democratic progress. Two rows of white marble railings enclose the monument, simple and beautiful.

Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao Zedong is at the south side of the Square. This Hall is divided into three halls and our dear Chairman Mao's body lies in a crystal coffin in one of the halls surrounded by fresh bouquets of various famous flowers and grasses.

West of the Square is the Great Hall of the 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 in front 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.

Another important place for the tourist to visit is the China National Museum at the east side of the Square. It just came into existence in 2003 and is a mergence of China History Museum and China Revolutionary Museum. This National Museum faces the Great Hall of the People. Inside the China Revolutionary Museum are a lot of material objects, pictures, books and models to present the development of modern China. The China History Museum shows a large number of cultural relics illustrating the long history and glorious culture of China from 1,700,000 years ago to 1925 when the last emperor left the throne.