Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

Tiananmen Square is located in the center of Beijing, stretching 880 meters from north to south and 500 meters from east to west, covering an area of 440,000 square meters. It can accommodate one million people for large-scale events, making it the largest city square in the world today.

Tiananmen Square has witnessed the unyielding revolutionary spirit and fearless heroism of the people of Beijing. Movements such as the May Fourth Movement, the December 9th Movement, and the May 20th Movement have all left a profound mark on the history of China's modern revolution here. After the founding of New China, Tiananmen Square was expanded, and the Monument to the People's Heroes was erected in the center. Later, the Great Hall of the People was built on the west side of the square, the Museum of the Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History on the east side, and the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao on the south side.

The Tiananmen Gate Tower stands at the northern end of the square. Built in the 15th year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1417), it was originally named the Gate of Heavenly Succession and was renamed Tiananmen after being reconstructed in the 8th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1651). The gate features five passageways and a nine-bay tower, standing 33.7 meters tall. Above the exquisitely carved white marble Sumeru pedestal, which spans over 2,000 square meters, rises a red-and-white terrace about 10 meters high, atop which sits the resplendent Tiananmen Gate Tower. Below the tower lies the shimmering Golden Water River, spanned by five finely carved white marble bridges. In front of the tower, two pairs of majestic stone lions and slender ornamental columns are arranged in perfect harmony, making Tiananmen a masterpiece of architectural art.

On October 1, 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China from the Tiananmen Gate Tower and personally raised the first five-starred red flag. Since then, the Tiananmen Gate Tower has become a symbol of New China, and its solemn and majestic image forms an important part of China’s national emblem.

Address: Chang’an Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing (between Tiananmen and Zhengyangmen)

Type: Square

Recommended visiting time: 0.5–1 hour

Opening hours:

Open from one hour before the flag-raising ceremony (one hour in summer, half an hour in winter) to one hour after the flag-lowering ceremony (one hour in summer, half an hour in winter). The square is cleared at other times. Adjustments may be made temporarily by public security authorities based on the season and actual visitor flow.

Tiananmen Gate Tower opening hours:

Low season (November – February of the following year): 8:30–16:30, ticket sales stop at 16:00

Ticket information:

No admission fee required.

Admission to climb the Tiananmen Gate Tower: 15 RMB per person; 5 RMB per person for students, etc.; 5 RMB per person for seniors aged 70 and above; free for active-duty military personnel, etc.