天安门 Tian'anmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace)

    Tian'anmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), is located in the center of Beijing. It was first built in 1417 and named Chengtianmen (the Gate of Heavenly Succession). At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was seriously damaged by war. When it was rebuilt under the Qing in 1651, it was renamed Tian'anmen, and served as the main entrance to the Imperial City, the administrative and residential quarters for court officials and retainers. The southern sections of the Imperial City wall still stand on both sides of the Gate. The tower at the top of the gate is nine-room wide and five–room deep. According to the Book of Changes, the two numbers nine and five, when combined, symbolize the supreme status of a sovereign. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tian'anmen was the place where state ceremonies took place.

    天安门广场位于北京市中心。它是世界上最大的广场，面积有50万平方米。天安门广场附近的主要景点有：正阳门城楼、正阳门箭楼、前门大栅栏。故宫、中山公园、劳动人民文化宫（太庙）、中国历史博物馆、中国革命博物馆、人民大会堂、毛主席纪念堂、人民英雄纪念碑等等。
广场西面是人民大会堂，这里是全国人大的办公地点。东面是中国革命博物馆和中国历史博物馆，在广场中央矗立着人民英雄纪念碑。在纪念碑南面是毛主席纪念堂，一代伟人毛泽东的遗体安放于此，人们可以入内瞻仰。在广场北面隔着长安街就是宏伟的天安门城楼，它建在北京市的南北中轴线上，通高33.7米，原来是明、清两朝皇宫的正门。1949年10月1日毛泽东在城楼上按动电钮升起新中国第一面国旗，从此，天安门城楼成为国家政权的象征。穿过天安门城楼大门可以进入故宫。现在天安门城楼允许游人购票上楼参观。天安门广场上每天日出时分国旗班战士们的升旗仪式已经成为北京的一大景观。
在天安门广场，曾爆发过“五四”运动、“一二九”运动等重大事件。1949年10月1 日，举世瞩目的中华人民共和国开国大典在此隆重举行。天安门广场以其壮丽开阔、庄严宏伟的雄姿，吸引着千千万万的中外旅游者。