Tian’anmen Square

Central Beijing, south of Chang’an Jie

HOURS: Daily 24 hours

COST: Free

METRO: Tian’anmen West or Tian’anmen East (Line 1)

Tian’anmen Square is etched in world history due to the events that unfolded in June of 1989, the effects of which are felt across China to this day.

Located just south of the Forbidden City [1], Tian’anmen is the largest public plaza in the world with an area of 440,000 square meters (4.7 million sq. ft.). It sits between the Forbidden City’s ancient Tian’anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) to the north, and Qianmen (Front Gate) to the south, and contains the Monument to the People’s Heroes and Mao’s Mausoleum [2], as well as the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum.

It was from the square that Chairman Mao announced the birth of the People’s Republic on October 1, 1949. His image now looks out over the plaza from the south wall of the Forbidden City.

There has been a square here since 1651, but it only reached its current dimensions (around four times the size of the original) in the 1950s. It has been the site of many political events, including the anti-Imperialist May Fourth Movement of 1919, during which nationalist rallies and uprisings took place to protest against China’s flimsy response to the Treaty of Versailles.

Further protests happened in 1976 after the death of Premier Zhou Enlai, but the most infamous were the rallies that ended in tragedy and loss of life in the summer of 1989.

The events leading up to the massacre on June 4, 1989, began on April 15 with the death of former Communist Party official Hu Yaobang. Students and political protesters began to gather and strike, occupying Tian’anmen Square to air their dissatisfaction and call for democracy and economic reform. Prime Minister Li Peng declared a state of martial law on May 20, backing military action to remove the protestors and end the unrest.

On June 4, tanks operated by the People’s Liberation Army moved into Tian’anmen Square, shooting indiscriminately until the area was clear of dissenters. No one knows for sure how many people lost their lives; the figures range from 400 to tens of thousands.

Many people in the West associate the Tian’anmen Square incident with a poignant image of a man standing in front of a line of tanks. The photograph of “Tank Man,” or the Unknown Rebel, was actually taken on June 5, the morning after the massacre. He halted the tanks’ progress out of the square before being removed, unhurt, from their path. It is not known what became of the man.

The events of June 4 (known as Liu Si Shijian in Mandarin) changed the course of modern Chinese history, auguring an age of strict state control and censorship of the media.

Tian’anmen Square is a requirement for any Beijing itinerary, and an appropriate starting point for a day of sightseeing. Be prepared for a bag search coming up from the Metro, and tightened security around the anniversary of the June 4 incident.