Tiananmen Gate Tower

　　Located at the northern end of Tiananmen Square in the center of Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, it faces Chang’an Avenue. Opposite it are Tiananmen Square as well as the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Great Hall of the People, and the National Museum of China. It is one of the most magnificent gate towers in ancient China. Renowned worldwide for its outstanding architectural artistry and unique political significance. On October 1, 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong solemnly proclaimed here: “The People’s Republic of China has been founded, and the Chinese people have stood up!” He personally raised the first five-star red flag. The image of the Tiananmen Gate Tower appears on the national emblem of the People’s Republic of China and has become a symbol of the country.

　　During China’s Ming and Qing dynasties, Tiananmen was the main gate of the imperial city for both dynasties. The construction of Tiananmen began in the 15th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1417), originally named “Chengtianmen,” which means “Receiving the Mandate from Heaven” and “Undertaking the Mission Entrusted by Heaven.” At that time, Tiananmen was a three-story, five-bay gateway with yellow tiles and upturned eaves, vividly decorated with red paint and golden nails. A straight central imperial path passed through Duanmen (the Gate of Virtue) and led directly to Wumen (the Meridian Gate), the main gate of the imperial palace. Along both sides of this path, traditional layouts of ancestral temples on the left and altars of land and grain on the right were arranged. Red walls were built along both sides of the path, extending all the way to outside Tiananmen, connecting with two thousand-step corridors, forming an enclosed ceremonial plaza. Outside the plaza, government offices for civil officials were located on the left, while those for military officials were on the right, fully demonstrating the overwhelming authority of centralized power. In the 8th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1651), it was renamed “Tiananmen,” meaning “Receiving the Mandate from Heaven” and “Bringing Peace to the Nation and Governing the People.” The square in front of Tiananmen Gate Tower was an enclosed ceremonial space where civil and military officials had to dismount their horses, and commoners were strictly prohibited from entering. Even glancing inside could be regarded as the serious crime of “illegally peering at the palace gate,” punishable by instant execution.

　　For 500 years during the Ming and Qing dynasties, major state ceremonies such as “proclaiming imperial edicts” were held at Tiananmen. It was the site where new emperors ascended the throne and empresses were enthroned, where imperial edicts were proclaimed to the nation, where the emperor conducted palace examinations and recruited talents, and where the emperor would pass through when leading military campaigns or paying homage at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. To ordinary people, it was an inaccessible and distant place. Tiananmen was a heavenly palace on earth, epitomizing the pinnacle of ancient architectural art, and also a concrete representation of the feudal hierarchy.

　　After the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, the tightly closed gates on both sides of the ceremonial plaza naturally collapsed, turning East and West Chang’an Streets into bustling thoroughfares. Since then, major historical events recorded in the annals of the Chinese revolution — such as the May Fourth Movement, the December 9th Movement, the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic, and the April Fifth Movement — have all taken place here as part of this grand stage.

　　After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the newly expanded Tiananmen Square in front of Tiananmen Gate Tower became the world’s largest public square, serving as a venue for major celebrations and gatherings in the People’s Republic of China. All past National Day military parades in the country were held here, where national leaders reviewed the honor guards and parade troops. In 1961, Tiananmen Gate Tower was designated as one of the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. Through various renovations, the government reconstructed the wooden structures on the tower, thickened the city walls, and eventually shaped it into what it is today. It is currently a national 4A-level tourist attraction.

　　Starting in November 1987, Tiananmen was officially opened to both domestic and international tourists. Prior to this, very few ordinary people had the opportunity to get close to Tiananmen and admire its majestic beauty as they can today, or freely gaze out over the vast panorama of the square like national leaders once did. As a result, since its opening, it has attracted thousands upon thousands of domestic and foreign tourists who flock to climb the tower and explore.

　　After the Manchu nobility of the Qing Dynasty entered and took control of the Central Plains, in order to achieve long-term rule, besides adopting other measures, they also placed great emphasis on the naming of city gates. As anti-Qing uprisings continued to threaten the rule of the Manchu feudal aristocracy, the Qing rulers particularly emphasized strategies of “peace” and “harmony” to ensure “long-lasting peace and stability” under Qing rule. For example, the “Hall of Supreme Harmony,” “Hall of Central Harmony,” and “Hall of Preserving Harmony” within the Forbidden City were renamed “Hall of Supreme Harmony,” “Hall of Central Harmony,” and “Hall of Preserving Harmony,” respectively, reflecting the desire for inner stability. “Chengtianmen” was renamed “Tiananmen,” which not only retained the original intent of “Receiving the Mandate from Heaven” but also incorporated the ideas of “Governing the Nation and Bringing Peace” and “National Prosperity and People’s Well-being.” Moreover, the three gates of the imperial city — “Di’anmen (Gate of Earthly Peace),” “Dong’anmen (Gate of Eastern Peace),” and “Xi’anmen (Gate of Western Peace)” — all emphasize the character “An (Peace),” signifying external peace and internal harmony.

Tiananmen Gate Tower

Tiananmen Gate Tower