Tiananmen Square, Tian'an Men Tower, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres), and able to accommodate 10,000,000 people at one time. The square is a conglomeration of splendid and beautiful flowers and the red national flag which flutters in the wind. The raising of the national flag is something which should not be missed by visitors to Tiananmen Square.

With the towering Monument to the People's Heroes at the center, Tiananmen Square has the magnificent Tiananmen Tower in the north, the solemn Mao Zedong Memorial Hall in the south, the National Museum of China in the east and the Great Hall of the People in the west. Surrounded by these lofty buildings, the Square looks most splendid and majestic and attracts many tourists every day.

In the center of the Square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes, which commemorates the martyrs who devoted their lives to the Chinese people. It reaches 37.94 meters (124 feet) which makes it the biggest monument in Chinese history. The body is made of hardy granite and is surrounded by white balusters. Engraved is the epigraph written by Mao Zedong, the founder of People's Republic of China. Eight reliefs depict the crucial events which took place in modern times, showing a part of the centuries-old history of China.

Tiananmen Tower in the south was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During this dynasty and the following Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it was where proclamations were issued to the whole nation. The common people were prohibited from entering the tower, but now tourists with tickets are permitted to climb it. It has five arched gates and nine principle hall columns. With the delicately carved white marbles on its base and yellow tiles on the roof, the tower is quite resplendent. Under the tower flows the limpid Jinshui River, across which seven exquisite bridges are perched, named the Golden Water Bridges.

In the south of the Square is the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. Mao Zedong, the first chairman of the People's Republic of China (PRC), is greatly admired by the Chinese People. The hall was built in 1977. It is divided into three halls: the main hall, the north hall and the south hall. The remains of Mao Zedong are laid in a crystal coffin in the main hall. From the exhibit in the north hall, you can learn something about Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai and other founders of the state. While visiting the main hall, it is necessary to observe a respectful silence.

In the east of the Square is the National Museum of China which is a great treasure trove. This museum was officially opened in 2003. Its predecessors are the National Museum of Chinese History and the National Museum of the Chinese Revolution. It is a comprehensive museum with an emphasis on Chinese art and history. The National Museum of Chinese History has more than 3,000,000 precious articles which provide a vivid portrayal of Chinese history. In the National Museum of the Chinese Revolution there are displays of over 4,500 articles, including literature, pictures, drawings and sculptures. These depict the people's revolutions and movements to save China, which happened after the Opium War in 1840.

Great Hall of the People, Tian'anmen Square in Beijing

In the west of the Square is the Great Hall of the People which was built in 1959 and occupies a construction area of 170,000 square meters (42 acres). It is so called because the National People's Congress is held in this hall. When entering the building you will see the central hall which is decorated with white marble columns and crystal lights. At the back of the hall is the great hall which can hold 10,000 people. The banqueting hall in the north has 5,000 seats and grand banquets are conducted on important occasions. In the south are the offices of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Names:	Admission Fee:	Opening Hours:
Tiananmen Tower	CNY 15	08:30-17:00
Great Hall of the People	CNY 30	09:00-14:00 (December 1-March 31)
		08:15-15:00 (April 1-June 30)
		07:30-16:00 (July 1-August 31)
		08:30-15:00 (September 1-December 30)
Mao Zedong Memorial Hall	Free	08:30-11:30, 14:00-16:00 (Tuesday & Thursday)
Mao Zedong Memorial Hall	Free	08:30-11:30 (Tuesday-Sunday)

Comments and Questions

hello,I come from china ,

Reply12/9/2009 1:25:00 AMchen xuran , China

linda ( Singapore ) :1/19/2010 11:44:00 PM

Do you know how hot will be in march 2010 in beijing and what is the entrance fee charged for all major sightseeing places and is great wall badaling easy access to MRT? Which station?

Fred :1/20/2010 8:00:00 PM

The temperature is around 20 degrees centigrade in March in Beijing. As for the admissions and transport, you can refer to the info. on the website below:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/

linda ( Singapore ) :1/21/2010 1:54:00 AM

I will be staying at Crowne Plaza beijing, can anyone tell me what bus or MRT (train) i can take to Great wall badaling, tian an men, summer palace, forbiden city? anyone can help and provide me with a bus/mrt list. Cronwe plaza beijing got what bus or what is the mrt station? Is this hotel near to bus stop, Shopping and mrt station?

David :1/21/2010 8:08:00 PM

Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing is located near to the Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City.
From the hotel to Badaling Great Wall: take subway Line 1 at Wangfujing, and change to Subway Line 2 at Jianguomen to Jishuitan, then shift to Bus No. 919.
To Summer Palace, take subway Line 1 at Wangfujing to Gongzhufen, and change to Bus No. 817.

The Nearest Bus and Subway station is Wangfujing.

linda ( Singapore ) :3/3/2010 10:19:00 PM

Hello, are u from beijing, if so, can tell me how is the weather today and the next week, what clothing should i wear? thanks

Mr. Wang ( China ) :3/4/2010 7:42:00 PM

I got you the weather from the internet that it is fair amd windy today, and it will be fair next week.

Is this two place in the same locations. Temple of heaven/ Lama Temple and do we need to pay entrance fee. Please advise.

Reply3/2/2010 9:26:00 PMLinda , Singapore

Owen ( Malaysia ) :3/3/2010 9:58:00 PM

The two place are not in the same location, you have to take Subway Line 5 to transfer between them.

Yes, you need to pay entrance fee.

Anyone know is this hotel in beijing good? Tian Bao Hotel?
Pls advise.

Reply3/2/2010 9:20:00 PMlinda , Singapore

Bun ( Egypt ) :3/3/2010 9:03:00 PM

I know that it is a 4-star hotel. If you want to know more about it, go to the internet please.

Hi,

can anyone advise is all this places at the same location or do we need to take bus and transfer?

Tian An Men Square/ Forbidden City/ National Centre for Performing Arts/ QianMen Street/ Zhengyangmen Tower.

Reply3/2/2010 9:21:00 PMLinda , Singapore

Mr. Wang ( China ) :3/3/2010 9:52:00 PM

All of the places you mentioned above are very near to each other, you can just transfer between them on foot.

Hi there,

I understand that there is a happy valley theme park in beijing, do you know how much is the entrance fee and can we play all the things in the park and how long can we play? is all the thing safe?

Reply3/2/2010 9:16:00 PMLinda

Fred ( Cyprus ) :3/3/2010 9:00:00 PM

The entrance fee of Beijing Happy Valley is CNY120 per person, you can stay in it for all day long. I think it is safe there.

Hi,

Can i know how is the weather in beijing now? Any snow? what should we wear? do we need to wear winter clothes, wear glove, winter hat and anyone know about how will the weather for this whole week?

Reply3/2/2010 9:15:00 PMLinda , Singapore

Linda ( Austria ) :3/3/2010 7:54:00 PM

You may get the weather of the following 3 days of Beijing from the website below:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing.htm

It is spring in Beijing Now, you don't need to wear winter clothes, I think a thin sweater and long dust coat would be ok for your trip in Beijing.

I am going to Beijing in 5 March 2010, can anyone advise how is the whether in March, Shall i book the land tour from singapore or from china better or free and easy and we go to the main tourist place by taxi is better? anyone know is crowne plaza beijing hotel good or not? Do we need to pay entrance fee going to Forbidden city, tian an men sq, badaling great wall and temple of haven? is all this place locacted at the same areas? how far is all this place to Crowne plaza beijing? how much will it cost for the taxi in beijing?

Anyone know, pls help.

Thanks alot.

Reply1/18/2010 10:17:00 PMlinda , Singapore

Linda :1/19/2010 7:46:00 PM

It will be warm in Beiing then, but there may be wind as well.
In order to have a smooth and pleasant trip, I think you'd better take part in a tour or ganized by a China Travel Agency such as TravelChinaGuide.com.
Sorry that I'm not sure about the distance between tourist attractions you mentioned and the Crowne Plaza Hotel, but I know that the hotel is a 5-star hotel and you have to pay the admission fees for all of the scenic spots except for tiananmen Square.
the taxi flag fall is CNY10 for the first three kilometers, and it is CNY2 per kilometer for the remainder of the journey.

Well good for my homework :D And wanna visit it someday ;)

Reply11/18/2009 1:57:00 PMAnnieeeee! , United Kingdom

Hi Fei,
Thanks for your reply.
May I know
(1) from JinSong Metro to GuoMao on line 10 to transfer to line 2 to Tiananmen, how much is the total fare?
(2)from JinSong Metro station, how do I go to see Water Cube and Bird Nest Stadium? How much is the total fare?
Thanks a lot.

Reply10/24/2009 12:33:00 AMJasmin , Singapore

Fei :10/28/2009 2:09:00 AM

Hi, Jasmin
(1) only 2 Yuan
(2) You can take the metro line 10 from Jinsong to Beitucheng then transfer to Line 8 (Olympic Branch) to the Olympic Sports Center. Total fare: 2 Yuan

it is very big

Reply10/27/2009 4:02:00 PMsweetpea

May I ask
(1) what is the nearest subway station from Beijing Henan Plaza Hotel where I can catch the subway to Tian-an-men Square?
(2) Do I have to pay an admission fee to this Square?
Thanks.

Reply10/23/2009 9:59:00 AMJasmin , Singapore

Fei ( China ) :10/23/2009 11:25:00 PM

Panjiayuan should be near the Jinsong Metro Station. So you can take the Metro Line 10 to Guomao and transfer to Line 2 to Tiananmen Square. The square is free of charge.

Is the newly built performance center called 'egg' very near the Tiananmen Square?

Reply10/23/2009 2:32:00 AMColumbia , Mexico

Beijingren ( China ) :10/23/2009 2:40:00 AM

hi, columbia
The 'egg' is named National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA). It just lies to the west of the Tiananmen Square, on the southern side of Changan Street.

This place along with the Forbidden City was worth the visit....

Reply10/12/2009 5:41:00 PMSarah , Cook Islands

may i copy some of these information to my blog? thanx

Reply9/17/2009 4:21:00 AMmuthie

That is so cool!!! My mandarin Chinese teacher told us we had 2 do research on it.

Reply9/9/2009 7:20:00 PMMichelle Ngo , United States

This is GREAT help with my homework !!

Reply9/9/2009 1:06:00 PMoliiivia , United Kingdom

Wonderful informations!Fully impressed!Helped me a lot!!!^_^

Reply7/27/2009 7:14:00 AMYuki , Hong Kong, China

is this place near hotel day inn

Reply7/25/2009 8:36:00 AMe san , Singapore

its great to visit dat place i wish to go my holiday
nice to see there its soo cool place

Reply6/11/2009 10:48:00 AMhassan ahmed ibrahim , Somalia

nice info

Reply4/26/2009 1:53:00 PMchristine , United States

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