The Tiananmen Gate was first built in the 1420s in the Ming Dynasty. During the demise of the Ming Dynasty, heavy fighting between Li Zicheng and the early Qing emperors damaged (or perhaps destroyed) the gate. In 1651 (early Qing Dynasty), the Tiananmen Gate was renovated. During the Ming and Qing eras, there was no public square at Tiananmen; instead, it was a T-shaped walled courtyard flanked by offices various ministries, bureaus and agencies. It was enlarged to its present size and cemented in 1958. Gate of Heavenly Peace was the grandest rostrum during ancient China time. Gate of Heavenly Peace is composed by two parts, namely Tiananmen Gate and Tiananmen Rostrum. The overall height is 34.7 meters. There are 60 great columns erected on Tiananmen Rostrum.
Belonging to warm temperate zone and semi-humid zone, Beijing has distinct seasons, short in spring and autumn and long in summer and winter. The average temperature of the year is 13 C. The coldest month is January, and the average temperature is -3.7 C; the hottest is July, and the average temperature is 25.2 C. Every season is suitable for travel.
The ground was made of golden brick. Both the north and south sides are the lozenge doors whereas the ceiling, arch door and girder were engraved with colored pottery of traditional golden dragon with propitious design. It is located on the central axis where only the Emperor has access to this road in the past. British and French troops who invaded Beijing in 1860 pitched camp near the gate and briefly considered burning the gate and the entire Forbidden City down. They decided ultimately to preserve the palace and to burn instead the emperor’s Summer Palace. The Qing emperor eventually agreed to let the foreign powers establish headquarters in the area. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 the siege badly damaged the office complexes and several ministries were burnt down. In the conflict’s denouement, the area became a space for foreign troops to assemble their armies and horses. It was cleared in due course to produce the beginning of what is now known as the Tiananmen Square. The Square, however, was not officially made until the PRC took power in 1949.
Admission fee:
Free.
Address:
Tiananmen Gate Dongchengqu, Beijing, China.
Opening hours:
All day.
Traffic:
To get here, you can take the city bus line 1,2,4,5,9,10,17,20,22,44,52,59,110. The subway is a good option too. You can take the subway line 1 to the station named Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West.
Accomodation:
(1). Beijing Tianyuanlvse: It is in the Siheyuan Hutong area of Beijing and you can feel the Hutong culture of Beijing if you choose to live here. Its address is 19 Dongsishitiaoqitiao Dongchengqu Beijing,China. The cost is only 50-70 rmb for a bed.
(2). Jiaoshejiatingkezhan: It is another good choice for the tourists who want to save some money. Tiananmen Gate is very close to this hostel.(only about 15 minutes’ walk) Its address is 8 Xinjianhutong, Xichengqu, Beijing, China. The cost is about 50 rmb for a bed.
Tips:
(1). If you wanna fly a kite in Tiananmen Gate, you can buy one from the street vendors. They have all kinds of kites and the cost is not high.
(2). You can stay here for a while in the night and you will feel different from the day.
(3). If you wanna climb the Tiananmen Gate, the cost is 15 rmb for a person.(5 rmb for students and aged) Opening hours: 8:30-17:00. You will need to do a security check before getting in.
(4). The Great Hall of the People (Renmingdahuitang) is not free for the tourists either. You will need to pay 30 rmb if you wanna get in.(15 rmb for students and aged) Opening hours: 9:00-14:00. No bags can be carried in.
(5). Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (Maozhuxijiniantang): It is free for all the tourists but not open on Monday.