Tiananmen Square

Largest Urban Square in Beijing

Aug 26, 2007 Scott Hayden

Tiananmen Square in Beijing has been the centre of important events in history.

Tiananmen Square is as central to Beijing as Red Square is to Moscow, but much larger in size. It got its name from the gate at the north end of the square, which leads into what we now know as the Forbidden City. The word "Tiananmen" translates into English as the Gate of Heavenly Peace. Essentially, Tiananmen Square IS the heart and soul of Beijing, and seeing it at the end of a tour would wrap up your visit to the Chinese capital very nicely.

The People's Republic of China was officially born on October 1, 1949, and Mao Zedong raised the new Chinese flag over the square. The people who attended the ceremony sang the national anthem for the first time, called "The March of Volunteers." At the south end of the square, behind the Monument to the Heroes of the People, is Mao's mausoleum.

It was completed in 1977 and the construction of this building was against Mao's wishes because he wanted to be cremated. But he was a hero to millions of Chinese people so it was decided his remains were to be preserved. The much loved Chairman, whose face is now printed on all Chinese currency notes, is displayed in a crystal casket in the viewing hall of the mausoleum.

The Monument to the Heroes of the People was completed in 1958, and is one of the most historically significant monuments in the square. The turbulent social and political events experienced in China during the 19th and 20th centuries are inscribed on the surface. Among them were the destruction of a substantial shipment of opium at Humen in Guangdong province in 1839, which was the catalyst of the Opium Wars of 1840-1842. Another was the 1911 Revolution which marked the end of the Qing dynasty. And the long, bitter war with Japan lasted from 1937-1945. There is a short message on the north side of the monument written by Mao Zedong. It reads, "The Heroes of the People are Immortal."

The Great Hall of the People was where Richard Nixon met Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing in 1972. The facilities inside are undoubtedly impressive. There's a 10,000 seat auditorium and a banquet hall that can seat 5,000 people.

By 1989 China was well on its way to economic modernization under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. But in June of that year the people wanted more than just economic reforms. The rights of the people were not being heard, and students protested outside the Great Hall of the People. The number of people increased until finally the Politburo was forced to listen. The response of the military was swift and merciless, and the most famous photo taken before the massacre was of a lone man standing in front of a group of tanks. When the dust settled Tiananmen Square was stained red with blood. It's not known even today how many people were killed, but the estimate is in the thousands.

The Beijing Olympics are scheduled to begin in August, 2008. Tiananmen Square will make history once again, when it receives record numbers of Chinese and foreign tourists visiting one of the most impressive urban squares in the world.

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The Forbidden City