Travel bucket list idea:
Beijing, China
Credit Shutterstock.com/superjoseph
This vast public space sits at the very heart of modern China, both literally and symbolically. It takes its name from the Gate of Heavenly Peace which divides the square in the north from the Forbidden City, and upon which Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.
The socialist-realist Great Hall of the People, China’s most important government building, lines the western flank, facing the hulking National Museum across the square.
In the centre is Mao Zedong’s mausoleum and the Monument to the Peoples’ Heroes. Demarcating the southern boundary are the parallel Zhengyangmen and Arrow Tower city gates.
During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, rallies of up to a million Red Guards took place. In 1989, pro-democracy demonstrators took over the square for six weeks before the government’s brutal crackdown that sent shockwaves around the world.
Both the Gate of Heavenly Peace to the north of the square, and the Zhengyang Gate in the south, can be entered and climbed for sweeping views of Beijing’s grand central axis. There are historical exhibitions in both.
Beijing, China
Experience
Looking out over Tiananmen Square, this is China’s most iconic political building and the meeting place for the National People’s Congress. Inside, you can tour its vast Stalinist auditorium, complete with plexiglass red star in the ceiling. When it’s not in use, you can go in to see the vast Stalinist auditorium, complete with plexiglass red star in the ceiling.
Good for age: 18+
Beijing, China
Experience
The National Museum of China contains a humongous cache of bronzes, ceramics, Buddhist art and jade dating back through the dynasties. The bombastic ‘Road to Rejuvenation’ exhibition traces China’s rise from the 1840-42 Opium War with Britain to the country’s 21st century space programme.
Adult price: £5
Good for age: 18+
Beijing, China
Experience
Visitors line up in droves to shuffle past Mao’s embalmed corpse, on display in a mausoleum in the middle of Tiananmen Square. Guards keep the crowds moving through to the gift shop full of Mao-themed souvenirs.
Good for age: 18+
Beijing, China
Built in the early 15th century, the Forbidden City is a vast palace complex of regal halls, ceremonial courtyards, gardens and living quarters, that served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households for 500 years. Behind its vermilion walls was a closed-off world of antique ritual and intrigue, where the ‘Son of Heaven’ was tended to by an army of servants, eunuchs and concubines.
Today the palace complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest collection of heritage wooden buildings. Officially called the Palace Museum, many of the rooms have been given over to museum exhibits of imperial treasures, from priceless ceramics to Qing-dynasty furniture.
Its central location, historic importance and architectural beauty make this Beijing’s most popular site of interest for tourists.
Adult price: £6
Good for age: 13+
Beijing, China
Protecting the Forbidden City from icy winds and evil spirits, this 45m-high artificial hill is Beijing’s best park and a great vantage point, offering superb views over the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square beyond.
It was once part of Beijing’s imperial city, and is most famous as the site where the last Ming emperor hanged himself as peasant rebels stormed the capital in 1644.
The climb up to the ornate Wanchun Pavilion, the park’s most famous viewpoint, is relatively gentle, and on route you’re sure to pass groups of locals singing, dancing and playing music.
Adult price: £3
Good for age: 18+
The Square itself is only accessible on foot. Take metro line 1 to either Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West stations, or metro line 2 to Qianmen station at the southern edge of the square. Alternatively, taxis will drop you approximately 150 metres from the Square on Dongchangan Dajie.
The imposing Forbidden City at the northern end is separated from the Square by the Dongchangan Dajie thoroughfare – an underground walkway connects these two attractions.
Tiananmen Square opens every day before dawn for the flag-raising ceremony, and generally closes after the flag-lowering ceremony at sunset.
Expect security checks, and bring your passport. Note that the square may be closed without warning on politically-sensitive dates.
The biting cold winds and freezing weather from December to March are best avoided unless you are wrapped up in arctic gear.
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