TianAnMen Square

Tian'AnMen Square

Tian'AnMen Square is a very large plaza at the center of Beijing, named after TianAnMen Gate ('Gate of Heavenly Peace') which sits to its north, separating it from, and connecting it to, the Forbidden City.

The two red signs on Tian'AnMen Gate say : 'Long live the People's Republic of China' and 'Long live the great union of the peoples of the world'.

TianAnMen Square has great cultural significance because it was on the rostrum of TianAnMen Gate that Mao ZeDong declared the People's Republic of China on October 1st 1949. That is why a large portrait of Mao hangs from the rostrum of Tian'AnMen Gate.

TianAnMen Square is 880 metres from north to south and 500 metres from east to west, with a total area of 440,000 square meters (44 Hectares). It is the largest open square in the world - considerably larger than Red Square in Moscow. If you buy a ticket to go up onto the rostrum of Tian'AnMen Gate, you will have a good view of the square.

The large, white marble, ornamental columns around Tian'AnMen Gate were constructed in 1420 as part of the Forbidden City's grand design. There are two columns in front of Tian'AnMen Gate and two at the back. The columns are 9.6 meters high and weigh 20 tonnes each. On each column there is a plate called Cheng Lu Pan for collecting dew and a crouching animal called a Hou.

The national flag is raised daily at sunrise and lowered at sunset. The procession for this comes through TianAnMen gate, which is closed behind the procession - so to see the flag raising/lowering, be on the square side of TianAnMen gate (or up on the rostrum).

Below is a map showing the location of TianAnMen Square in relation to TianAnMen Gate, ChangAn avenue and the Forbidden City.

The blue dot marks Tian'AnMen Dong subway station.

If primarily visiting the Forbidden City, arrive at Tian'AnMen Dong subway station if coming by train; otherwise QianMen subway station at the south end of the square is an alternative starting point. The following map shows the layout of Tian'AnMen Square and the places around it.

Introduction

History

Around the Square

Special Displays

At night

Gallery Shop
(prints, tshirts, bags ...)

Beijing Guide