We visited Tian'anmen in the morning of our first day in Beijing, shortly after our plane touched down at the new Beijing Terminal 3 and breakfast at the Wangfujing branch of Tientsin "Gou Bu Li" bun shop. Tian'anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) is probably the most famous landmark of China. It was the main gate to the Beijing Imperial City during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. To the north is the Duanmen (Upright Gate) and the Wumen (Meridian Gate), which is the main gate of the forbidden city.
Side view of Tian'anmen and behind it, Duanmen. The greyish sky of Beijing, reflecting the heavy pollution, is quite apparent here.
Close up side view of Tian'anmen.
Crowds on one of the seven arched bridges in front of the Tian'anmen. The body of water below the bridges is known as Jinshuihe (Golden River). Only two out of the seven bridges are open, hence it is always crowded.
Looking at the Tian'anmen square just across the Chang'an Avenue, which spans across the middle of inner Beijing. The main structures on the square are the 38-metre Monument to the People's Heroes and Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. On special occasions such as the May 1st Labour Day, the square is decorated with portraits of important political figures of China. Seen here is the portriat of Sun Yat-sen, revered as father of modern China.
Full frontal view of the Tian'anmen. In the center is the portrait of Mao Zedong. The left placard reads "Long Live the People's Republic of China". The right portrait reads "Long Live Unity of the World's People".
The Tian'anmen area is heavily guarded and mostly cordoned off. Visitors have to follow fixed routes through the gate.
