It’s the world’s biggest square – three times the size of Moscow’s Red Square and designed to hold one million people. Looking at the crowds that pack it today, it’s hard to imagine that during the Qing dynasty it was merely a corridor running southward between ministry buildings. Although these structures were swept away after 1911, Tian’anmen Square didn’t acquire its present size until the late 1950s, when massive Sino-Soviet-style buildings were added as part of an architectural program to mark the 10th anniversary of the People’s Republic. The next big change came in 1977 with the construction of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, completed less than a year after his death.
The square has been a political focal point since the May Fourth Movement in 1919, but these days most activities (photo-snapping and kite-flying) are considerably less action-packed. The ceremonial raising and lowering of the national flag, held daily at sunrise and sunset, draws patriotic tourists from all over China but relatively few foreigners.
The best place to view the square is from Tian’anmen Gate, the iconic structure on which hangs the enormous portrait of Mao Zedong.
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No event here now.