Tiananmen Square Event
天*门 Square is the large plaza near the center of Beijing, China, named after the 天*门 (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which sits to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City. It has great cultural significance as a symbol because it was the site of several key events in Chinese history (See below: Events). Outside of China, the square is best known for the 天*门 Square **.
The square is 880 metres south to north and 500 metres east to west, a total area of 440,000 square meters, which makes it the largest open-urban square in the world.
Background
The 天*门 was built in 1417 in the Ming Dynasty. In 1699 (early Qing Dynasty), the 天*门 was renovated and renamed to its present form. During the Ming and Qing eras, there was no public square at 天*门, and instead the area was filled with offices for imperial ministries. These were badly damaged during the Boxer Rebellion and the area was cleared to produce the beginning of 天*门 Square.
Near the centre of today's square, close to the site of the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, once stood one of the most important gates of Beijing. This gate was known as the "Great Ming Gate" (???) during the Ming Dynasty, "Great Qing Gate" (???) during the Qing Dynasty, and "Gate of China" (???) during the Republic of China era. Unlike the other gates in Beijing, such as the 天*门 and the Qianmen, this was a purely ceremonial gateway, with three arches but no ramparts, similar in style to the ceremonial gateways found in the Ming Dynasty Tombs. This gate had a special status as the "Gate of the Nation", as can be seen from its successive names. It normally remained closed, except when the Emperor passed through. Commoner traffic were diverted to two side gates at the western and eastern ends of today's square, respectively. Because of this diversion in traffic, a busy marketplace, called Chessgrid Streets (???) developed in the small, fenced square to the south of this gate.
In the early 1950s, China Gate (as it was then known) was
The square is 880 metres south to north and 500 metres east to west, a total area of 440,000 square meters, which makes it the largest open-urban square in the world.
Background
The 天*门 was built in 1417 in the Ming Dynasty. In 1699 (early Qing Dynasty), the 天*门 was renovated and renamed to its present form. During the Ming and Qing eras, there was no public square at 天*门, and instead the area was filled with offices for imperial ministries. These were badly damaged during the Boxer Rebellion and the area was cleared to produce the beginning of 天*门 Square.
Near the centre of today's square, close to the site of the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, once stood one of the most important gates of Beijing. This gate was known as the "Great Ming Gate" (???) during the Ming Dynasty, "Great Qing Gate" (???) during the Qing Dynasty, and "Gate of China" (???) during the Republic of China era. Unlike the other gates in Beijing, such as the 天*门 and the Qianmen, this was a purely ceremonial gateway, with three arches but no ramparts, similar in style to the ceremonial gateways found in the Ming Dynasty Tombs. This gate had a special status as the "Gate of the Nation", as can be seen from its successive names. It normally remained closed, except when the Emperor passed through. Commoner traffic were diverted to two side gates at the western and eastern ends of today's square, respectively. Because of this diversion in traffic, a busy marketplace, called Chessgrid Streets (???) developed in the small, fenced square to the south of this gate.
In the early 1950s, China Gate (as it was then known) was