tian'anmen square

tian'anmen square encompasses 44 hectares (108.7 acres), 880 meters from north to south and 500 meters from east to west, big enough to hold half a million people. the square has witnessed the chinese people’s struggle against foreign aggression and reactionary rule at home.

in 1919, the may 4th movement broke out in beijing. students and residents staged a patriotic demonstration in the square. in 1935, students in beijing launched the december 9th movement against the japanese aggression and chiang kai-shek's policy of non-resistance. they held a demonstration in the square.

on april 5, 1976, thousands of people gathered here to commemorate the late premier zhou enlai and oppose the "gang of four." many tourists to tian'anmen square would like to have their pictures taken in front of the white marble jinshuiqiao (golden water bridges).

the bridges were named after the golden water river they span. seven bridges, each supported by three arches, cross the outer golden water river in front of tian'anmen, zhongshan park, and the beijing working people's palace of culture. five one-arched bridges cross the inner golden water river inside the forbidden city between wumen (meridian gate) and taihemen (gate of supreme harmony).

the outer bridges, together with two graceful huabiao (ornamental columns) and two stone lions nearby, set off tian'anmen, making it look more imposing. the inner bridges make the spacious square look harmonious.

during the ming and qing (1368-1911) dynasties, the middle one of the seven outer bridges, which is larger than the others was called yuluqiao (bridge of the imperial way) and was used exclusively by the emperor. the two bridges on each side were called wanggongqiao (royal bridges) and were used by the royal family members. the two bridges farther out were the pinjiqiao (ranking bridges) and were used by civil and military officials above the third rank. those of the fourth rank and below could use only the outer two bridges, which were called gongshengqiao (public bridges).

the beijing municipal government launched a nine-month project to renovate tian'anmen square in the heart of the capital. the reconstruction, started in october 1998 and was completed by june 1999, in time for the grand celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the people’s republic of china on october 1, 1999, improved the worn-out pavement, public address system, and lighting around the periphery of the world’s largest square, installing new foundations and re- pairing underground pipelines. the bricks on the square were replaced with 340, 000 pink granite slabs to cover 156, 900 square meters (the gradient of the square is 3 per thousand easy for flow of rainwater and each slab is 99. 5 cm×49. 5 cm×15 cm) and shipped in from nearby hebei province (they are said to be wear and tear proof and have a more beautiful finish), the public-address system modernized, the low-wattage street lights replaced with more efficient ones, and more decorative lights installed to illuminate the buildings around the square. all these slabs weighed 130, 000 tons, with 50, 000 cubic meters. fifty eight spot checks were made during the construction of the whole project. the goal was to create a 21st century style square which reflects china's modernity, and new capital. the first renovation of tian'anmen square took place in 1959.

the renovation of the square was part of beijing’s move to improve its appearance for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the people’s republic of china.

a grand parade marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the people's republic of china (prc) was staged on the morning of october 1, 1999 in tian'anmen square in central beijing. the square was turned into a huge garden with millions of potted flowers. the five-star red flag--china’s national flag--could be seen all over the city. some 500, 000 people, military and civilians, gathered in the square and adjacent streets, in anticipation of the moment they had all been waiting for--the start of the parade at 10:o0 am. president jiang zemin and other top officials, re- viewed the troops, and military vehicles, missiles and warplanes, most of which were made in china. after the military parade came the turn of civil society with various activities to celebrate the grand occasion, including the performance of a traditional dragon dance. dozens of specially designated floats featuring china's major social and economic developments during the past five decades thrilled the audience as they passed through the square.

the grand national day parade ended with the release of tens of thou- sands of colorful balloons. some 50, 000 homing pigeons were also let loose in the skies over the square. new china has staged 13 national day military parades and celebration activities in tian'anmen square since it was founded in 1949.

in the evening of the same day, fireworks lit up the beijing sky as 100, 000 jubilant chinese took part in a song and dance extravaganza in tian'anmen square to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the people’s republic of china.

 

 

 

back top