By Liu Wanyuan
It is known throughout the world – a unique architectural landmark that has stood for generations, the center of the world’s most populous nation.
Tiananmen. It is the symbol of a republic; a place designed for the people.
It was here on October 1, 1949 that Chairman Mao Zedong, declared to the world, “The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China is hereby established. The Chinese people have stood up!” And, for the first time in history, the iconic gold and red five-starred flag rose over this symbolic place.
The Gate was first built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), and was called Chengtianmen, or “the Gate where the divine mandate of Heaven is received.” The gate is the front entrance to the Forbidden City, the former royal palace. When the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) replaced the Ming, Qing Emperor Shunzhi, renamed the gate, Tiananmen, or “The Gate of Heavenly Peace.”
During imperial China, Tiananmen was the symbol of power, and there was no large public square on the south side of the gate, as we see today. Back then there was open space large enough for grand ceremonies by imperial decree, and trials held by the imperial court. It was here that felons queued and kneeled before the emperor as they awaited their fates, which were sealed by the emperor’s brush.
The area was essentially off-limits to ordinary citizens. After all, during the nearly 5,000 years of feudal dynasties in China, the “public opinion square” concept, giving people a venue from which they could voice their opinions to officials, was unheard of. That changed when the People’s Republic of China was founded on that day in 1949. Then, top authorities decided to construct a large square in front of Tiananmen Gate. The square would be similar to Red Square in Moscow, but even bigger. It was to be used for mass gatherings. Mao Zedong said the square should be large enough to accommodate a parade of 1 million people.
It took a decade for the square to reach the size that it is today. In November 1958, in the run-up to the 10th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the Tiananmen extension project began. Ten months later, the “largest public square in the world,” covering 44 hectares, was complete. For the average Chinese person, Tiananmen is the heart of China, and the subject of classic patriotic songs that nearly every Chinese person knows. Children from all parts of the country learn to sing, “I love Tiananmen in Beijing. The sun rises over Tiananmen,” and are instilled with the dream to one day visit Beijing and see the square.
Tiananmen is also a barometer of Chinese politics, and its relations with the world. Whether foreign leaders are visiting China, or Chinese leaders are reaching out to the public, Tiananmen plays a central role. And the changes in the way Tiananmen Square is decorated for certain celebrations, or when leaders appear on top of Tiananmen Gate, usually carry political implications.
