Tian'anmen
Square
Located at the center of Beijing City
is Tiananmen Square, where you can visit Tiananmen Tower,
Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People,
Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising
ceremony. Thousands of people come to the Square every
day. It is the must place to visit in Beijing City.
At the north end of the Square is
Tiananmen Tower. Initially built in 1417 during the
Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D.- 1644 A.D.), the Square was
the front door of the Forbidden City. The most important
use of it in the past was to declare in a big ceremony
to the common people who became the emperor and who
became the empress. Until 1911 when the last feudal
kingdom was over, no one could enter the Tower except
for the royal family and aristocrats.
The granite Monument to the People's Heroes is just
at the center of the Tiananmen Square. Built in 1952,
it 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 to the people the development of Chinese
modern history. Two rows of white marble railings enclose
the monument, simple and beautiful.
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 infront
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.
Mao Zedong Memorial Hall 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.
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 combination of Chinese History Museum and Chinese
Revolutionary Museum. This National Museum faces the
Great Hall of the People. Inside the Chinese Revolutionary
Museum are a lot of material objects, pictures, books
and models to present the development of modern China.
The Chinese 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 1921 when the last
emperor left the throne.
Five Star Red Flag-the Chinese national flag, flies
high in the sky above the Square. To see the guard of
honor raise the Flag is a must for the tourist visiting
Beijing City. You have to get up very early and arrive
at the Square before sunrise. Only by doing so can you
see the ceremony clearly as there are crowds of people
attending the ceremony every day.
The present Tiananmen Square has an area of 440,000
square meters and has become a relaxing place for the
common people to fly kites and walk. On a holiday, the
whole square is covered with fresh flowers.
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