"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." RLS
The watchtower was an integral part of Zhengyangmen and only it and the gatehouse remain of this, the largest and one of the most important gates on Beijing’s 1400s Inner City wall. I suggest you read my review on the Zhengyangmen Gatehouse prior to this one as I have not repeated relevant background information in that review here. Continue reading “Zhengyangmen (Zhengyang Gate) – Watchtower”
At the southern end of Tiananmen Square, away from the Forbidden City, is a seemingly very out of place gate with another one, equally out of place looking, less than hundred metres behind it. Continue reading “Zhengyangmen (Zhengyang Gate) – Gatehouse”
Mao Zedong (1893-1976) was Chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death on 9 September, 1976. Continue reading “Visit Chairman Mao Zedong”
This review is on the building and sculptures around it. For details of my internal visit see my separate review – Visit Chairman Mao Zedong.
The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall or Mao’s Mausoleum is located at the southern end of Tiananmen Square between the Monument to the People’ s Heroes and Zhengyangmen Gate. Continue reading “Chairman Mao Memorial Hall”
On the 30 September 1949, the day before Mao Zedong’s official proclamation of the People’s Republic of China, the first plenary session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference decreed that a monument be constructed in Beijing to commemorate the people’s heroes of modern Chinese history. Continue reading “Monument to the People’s Heroes”
In 2009, to display a parade marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 1 October 1949, authorities erected two 40 metres long by 5 metres high, extremely high resolution LED display screens smack bang in the centre of Tiananmen Square – one some metres on either side of the north south axis – an historically important and symbolic line running down the centre of the square and beyond, through the Forbidden City to the North and the Temple of Heaven Complex to the south. Continue reading “Tiananmen Square LED Screens”
I hadn’t planned on visiting the flag raising or lowering ceremony held daily in Tiananmen Square. I don’t like hanging around waiting for things to happen and as such don’t do it unless I think it’s going to be worth it.
We had spent a very long and tiring day sightseeing and, as chance would have it, were passing through Tiananmen Square en route to our hotel as sunset approached. As a bit of a crowd was gathering we decided to hang around for the daily flag lowering ceremony, not knowing how long we would have to wait. I didn’t realise until I was later writing this review that the actual flag raising and lowering time is published in advance. Continue reading “Tiananmen Square – Lowering the Flag”
In your excitement about being in the world’s largest public square and making your way through Tiananmen (the gate) to enter the Forbidden City, you could be forgiven for missing these white marble columns, one on either side of the gate on the outside and two more on the other side of the gate once you do pass through. Continue reading “Huabiao – Keeping an Eye on the Emperor”
With its portrait of Mao Zedong, Tiananmen (Gate) is one of the most recognised sights in not only Beijing but also in China and it forms a key part of the country’s national emblem. Continue reading “Tiananmen – Gate of Heavenly Peace”
Most people know that Tiananmen Square, named after Tiananmen (the gate), in the heart of Beijing, is large but it is not until you visit it that you can truly appreciate how large it is. At 850m by 550m the ‘rectangular square’ is the largest public square in the world by a long shot. Continue reading “Tiananmen Square”
The Rambling Wombat 