Asia Beauty Spot – Asia Scenery

Beijing, the heart of China, is always the first choice of travelers who are willing to know a time-honored and developed city of China. It has been the political, economic and cultural center of China for over 800 years from the Yuan Dynasty. The numerous royal buildings with long history endow Beijing with incomparable charm, not only the ‘Nation’s Best’ but also the ‘World’s Best’. On the other hand, as the host city of the 2008 Olympic Games, this oriental ancient city presented her best fashion fascination to the world.

Located at the center of Beijing City is Tiananmen Square, where you can visit Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising ceremony. Thousands of people come to the Square every day. It is the must place to visit in Beijing City.

1. Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen Gate)

Standing at the juncture where the central axis of Beijing and Chang’an Street meet, on the northern edge of Tian’anmen Square, Tian’anmen is the symbol of modern China and featured on the emblem of the People’s Republic of China. It served as the gatehouse of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The building is 66 meters long, 37 meters wide and 32 meters high. It is made up of a platform and a tower. The tower sits on the platform with five arch gateways. As the largest of the five, the center archway is used as the specific passage for Ming and Qing emperors while the side ones are smaller and employed as the passages for ministers and officials. Above the archway hangs a large portrait of Maozedong, on the east and west sides of which are two giant placards, the left one reading: “Long Live the People’s Republic of China” while the right one reading: “Long Live the Great Unity of the World’s Peoples.” In front of the Gate of Heavenly Peace is golden water bridge, above which spans 7 white marble bridges with fine carvings. Same as the arch gateways, the central bridge as the widest one was reserved for the emperor. In front of the central arch gateway are two a pair of stone columns, called huabiao, each weighs 10 ton and reaches about 10m. The two columns are carved with dragon design and have an animal “Wangtianhou” on top as decoration. Outside the gate there are two lions and two more guarding the bridges. Lions are believed to protect humans from evil spirits in Chinese culture. On the two sides of the stone lions are reviewing stands. On the south of Tiananmen extends the No. 1 Street of Beijing, Chang’an Street, further south of which is the largest square in the world, Tiananmen Square. The tower sitting on the platform is a structure with double-eaved roof and yellow-glazed tiles. It is made 9 bays wide and 5 bays deep, which indicates the supremacy of the emperor.

Constructed during the reign of Ming Yongle in 1420, the tower has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Originally, it was a three-storey timberwork in the form of paifang of the imperial building named “Chengtianmen (Gate of Accepting Heavenly Mandate)”. In 1457, it was damaged by lightning and was completely burnt down. Eight years later, Tian’anmen was rebuilt as a five-bay-wide and three-bay-deep gatehouse. In year 1644, the seventeenth year of the reign of Chongzhen (1627-1644), Gate of Accepting Heavenly Mandate suffered another blow in the war. It was burnt down by rebels led by Li Zicheng who attacked Beijing. In year 1661, the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Shunzhi (1644-1661) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the gate was given its present name when a massive remodeling lasting for six years completed. The Chinese name of the gate, Tiananmen, is made up of three Chinese characters “heaven”, “peace” and “gate”, hence the translated version “The Gate of Heavenly Peace”. To be more accurate, this name is derived from the much longer phrase “receiving the mandate from heaven and stabilizing the dynasty”. Later Tiananmen underwent two reconstruction works in year 1688 and in year 1952 separately. After standing there for more than 500 years, the gate had badly deteriorated and it was then rebuilt again in 1970. The external appearance of the gatehouse remained the same as it was in year 1651, although it is 83 centimeters higher from the original height 33.87m to 34.7m.

Since November 1987, Gate of Heavenly Peace began to be open to the public and common people can step on Tiananmen and overlook Tiananmen Square just as the state leaders once did. It has always been a lure for tons of tourists from all over the world.

2. Monument to People’s Heroes

The Monument to the People’s Heroes stands in the center of Tiananmen Square, north of the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao. Four hundred and sixty three meters south from Tiananmen, and four hundred and forty meters north from Zhengyangmen, it coincides with the south-north center axis. The Monument to the People’s Heroes, together with Tiananmen and Zhengyangmen form a harmonious and consistent building complex.

On September 30 of 1949, the first China People’s Political Consultant Conference brought up the idea of building a monument in Beijing, capital of China, o commemorate the people’s heroes in modern Chinese history. At 6 p.m. of the same day, the ground-breaking ceremony was held, in which delegates led by Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 to 1976, broke ground, laying the cornerstone of the monument. The construction of the monument was started on August 1, 1952 and completed on April 22, 1958. On May 1 of 1958, the inauguration ceremony was held. In 1961, the monument was designated as one of China’s foremost protected relics.

The Monument to the People’s Heroes is a square building, covering an area of 3,000 square meters. It is composed of three parts; the body, the Buddhist-style base, and the pedestal, reaching as tall as 37.94m. The body of the monument is made up of 413 pieces of granite 32 layers deep. In the center of the north side of the monument, a single complete piece of stone, 14.7m long, 2.9m wide and 1m thick, is inscribed with large, glazed words by Mao Zedong which read: “Eternal Glory to the People’s Heroes.” The south side of the monument is composed of 7 pieces of stone with a draught of an epigraph by Mao Zedong and inscribed by Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the People’s Republic of China who served from October 1949 until his death in January 1976. The east and west sides of the monument are carved with patterns of five-pointed stars, pine trees and flags.

The body of the monument sits on two layers of Buddhist-style bases. The upper, smaller one is carved with a pattern of eight garlands made up of peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and other flowers. The larger one below is beset with ten big white marble bas-relief, eight of which reflect revolutionary events in China’s modern history. In historical sequence, they are “Burning Opium in Humen”, and “Jintian Uprising” on the east side, “Wuchang Uprising”, “May Fourth Movement”, and “May 30th Movement of 1925″ on the south side, “Nanchang Movement”, and “Anti-Japanese War” on the west side and “Campaign of Crossing Changjiang River on the north side (the front). “Crossing Yangtze River Campaign” also on the front, is the largest among the ten, with two decorative works “Supporting the Frontline” and “Greeting the People’s Liberation Army”. All of the ten bas-reliefs, featuring more than 170 figures, are 2m high, 2 to 6.4m wide and reach to a total length of 40.68m. The pedestal is divided into two layers, 50.44m from east to west and 61.5m from south to north. Both of the upper square one and lower one are surrounded with columns and steps.

3. Great Hall of the People

The Great Hall of the People lies to the west of Tian’anmen Square and south of the West Chang’an Street. It is where the National People’s Congress is held and also where state leaders hold diplomatic meetings and the masses stage political activities.

The Great Hall of the People, one of the “Ten Great Constructions” completed in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of PRC, was built in just 10 months between October 1958 and September 1959. Facing east, the hall covers an area of 150,000sqm, 336m long from south to north, 206m wide from east to west and 46.5m high. The building area of the Great Hall of the People reaches to 171,800sqm, even larger than that of the Forbidden City, hence the largest among hall structures in the world.

The Great Hall of the People is divided into three sections. The central part mainly includes the Great Auditorium, and the Central Hall. The northern section consists of the State Banquet Hall, the Salute State Guest Hall and other magnificent halls. The southern part is the administrative building of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of China. Each province, special administrative region and autonomous region of China has its own hall within the Great Hall, such as Beijing Hall, Hong Kong Hall and Taiwan Hall. Each hall is uniquely decorated and furnished according to the local style of the province it represents.

• Great Auditorium & Central Hall

Entering through the East Gate, and passing through two halls, one will reach the Central Hall. Covering an area of 3,600sqm, The Central Hall has a colorful marble floor and walls. Six main gates standing in the Central Hall lead to the Great Auditorium. In the heart of the Great Hall, the Great Auditorium is 60m deep from east to west, 76m wide from south to north and 33m high. Fan-shaped, the dais is visible everywhere. The Great Auditorium seats 3,693 in the lower auditorium, 3,515 in the balcony, 2,518 in the gallery and 300 to 500 on the dais, holding as many as 10,000 representatives in total. The lower auditorium is equipped with electrical devices, available for simultaneous interpretation into 12 languages. The ceiling is decorated with a large ruby like star surrounded by a galaxy of lights.

• Salute State Guest Hall & State Banquet Hall

Entering through the North Gate, passing through two halls, one will reach the Companionship Hall. With an area of 4,500sqm, the Companionship Hall is paved with marble floor. To the east is the State Guest Meeting Hall and to the west is the State Guest Banquet Hall, serving as the sites for state leaders to meet and the banqueting of state guests. To the south is a big white marble staircase with 62 steps that led up to the State Banquet Hall. At the top of the staircase is the Salute State Guest Hall, the place for state leaders and guests to take group photos as souvenirs before the banquet. The biggest traditional Chinese painting of the Great Hall, Jiangshanruciduojiao (Literally means “Beauty is the land”), is placed in the Salute State Guest Hall. The State Banquet Hall rests on the second floor. With an area of 7,000 square meters, it can entertain 7,000 guests, and up to 5,000 people can dine at a single sitting, as was done on the occasion of Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1972.

4. Chairman Mao Memorial Hall

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Mao Mausoleum) is the resting place of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death in 1976. Located To the east of Tiananmen Square, north of the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall rests on the site of former Gate of China (Zhonghuamen). The foundation of the building was laid in November 1976 while the inauguration ceremony was held on September 1977. Chairman Mao Memorial Hall covers an area of 57.2 thousand square meters, 220m from east to west and 280m from south to north. Above the main gate of the mausoleum, a white marble plaque with golden words: “Chairman Mao Memorial Hall” was beset. Forty-four granite posts stand on the large burgundy granite base, holding the golden glazed double-eaved roof.

• The Court

Two groups of clay figures displaying China Revolution, one for New Democracy period and the other for socialist construction period, stand in front of the south gate of the architecture. Coincidentally, in front of the north gate also stand another two lines of clay figures. All together there are four teams, 62 clay figures, each measuring 3.5m. The whole sculpture was finished in 5 months by over 100 sculptors from 18 provinces of China. Outside the south gate, there fly 30 red flags, representing 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

• Memorial Halls

Memorial halls are the main body of the building including two floors.

Halls on the first floor are North Great Hall, the Memorial Hall and the South Great Hall. The North Great Hall is the entrance to the Memorial Hall and the place for commemorative rites. A marble statue of Mao Zedong, 3.45 tall, was placed in the center of the North Great Hall. The backdrop of the hall is a floss-embroidered mural painting “The vast homeland”, 23.74m wide and 6.6m tall. The centre Memorial Hall is the place to pay tribute to Chairman Mao. In the Sun Yat Sen’s uniform, the body of Mao Zedong was covered with the party flag of Communist Party of China, resting in the crystal coffin. The black granite base of the crystal coffin was inlaid on the four sides with the party emblem, national emblem, army emblem as well as the birthday of Mao Zedong and the day he passed away. The South Great Hall is the exit of the Memorial Hall. The marble wall on the north was engraved with the gilded scripture “Manjianghong” written by Mao Zedong.

Halls on the second floor are the memorial rooms for the revolutionary achievements of Comrade Mao Zendong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun and the movie hall. Marble statues of the six leaders are placed in the center of six memorial rooms with a flock of materials such as photos and literatures to glass their outstanding achievements in different periods of China Revolution and Construction. A film documentary “Huainian” (Miss), reproducing the images of the six leaders, is screened in the movie hall.

5. National Museum of China

The National Museum of China sits to the east of Tiananmen Square and south of East Chang’an Street, opposite to the Great Hall of the People.  Finished at the same time, The National Museum of China and The Great Hall of the People were both among the “Ten Great Constructions” completed for the 10th birthday of the PRC. The National Museum of China was built on the basis of the former Museum of Chinese History and the former Museum of Chinese Revolution,  being the most inclusive museum of time-honored Chinese culture and history in the country. After four year’s renovation and expansion, the new National Museum reopened in March, 2011 ranks among the largest modern museums in the world.

• History

The Museum of Chinese History developed from The National History Museum which was constructed in 1912 at the site of Beijing Guozijian originally. Later it moved to the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and the Upright Gate (Duanmen) of the Forbidden City. After the founding of the People Republic of China, the government decided to build a new museum to the east of Tiananmen Square in August, 1958. Thereby, a new structure named The Museum of Chinese History was born in the next September.

The Museum of the Chinese Revolution grew out of the Preparatory Office of Central Revolution Museum that came into existence in March, 1950. The Preparatory Office was set in Circular City (Tuancheng) of Beihai Park at the beginning and moved to the Hall of Martial Valor of the Forbidden City before long. In October, 1958, a new building took shape to the east of Tiananmen Square. August, 1959 saw the completion of the building. August of the next year was the time when The Museum of the Chinese Revolution was presented and the Preparatory Office was eliminated. Its official opening was on July 1st, 1961.

In September, 1969, The Museum of Chinese History and The Museum of the Chinese Revolution were combined as the Revolution and History Museum of China. Later they went back to their separate buildings in the early years of the 1980s. On February, 28, 2003, The National Museum of China was inaugurated.

The National Museum of China was closed again for renovation and rebuilding in 2007 and reopened on March 1, 2011. The new one is two times larger than the previous one. The exhibition themed The Road to Rejuvenation once inaugurated in celebration of the 60th birthday of the PRC in 2009 is the first display in the new National Museum. The northern exhibition area was unveiled firstly to the public.

• Main Exhibits and Facilities

After renovation and expansion, The National Museum has in total 48 exhibition halls, ranging from 700-2000 square meters. Chinese Art History and The Road to Rejuvenation are the main basic exhibitions to show nearly 3,000 historic materials from Yuanmou Man about 1,700,000 years ago to the abdication of the Qing Emperor in 1912 in ten exhibition halls, and modern and contemporary revolutionary relics since the First Opium War (or the First Anglo-Chinese War) in 1840 in nine exhibitions halls, mirroring more than 100 years development of China from 1840 to the founding of the PRC in 1949.

The National Museum is devoted to display of treasured collections in form of various thematic exhibitions, such as the Arts of bronze, porcelain, jade, Chinese calligraphy and paintings, Buddhist statues, Ming & Qing furniture, coins, etc in ancient China; to display feature culture relics, significant archeological discoveries and ethnic culture and folk customs in the form of exchanges and cooperation with local museums; to display different civilizations and artistic creations in the world in the form of loan and exchange exhibitions. There are temporary exhibition halls to display modern art.

New buildings during the latest renovation project include several banquet rooms respectively decorated with wood, brick, bronze and stone carvings. In order to provide a variety of services, the new National Museum has shops offering tea, coffee, souvenirs, as well as an auditorium and a 700-seat theater.

• Top Treasures

The National Museum of China houses the most cherished and topmost level cultural relics of the whole nation, which can be seen in history schoolbook. The oldest exhibit is the teeth of Yuanmou Man 1.7 million years ago. There are also the stone tools and ancient jade ritual objects of prehistoric times. Simuwu Rectangle Ding, whichis the top treasure of the museum is the biggest piece of bronze ware in China. It was discovered in the Yin Ruins Royal Tomb of the Shang Dynasty. The image in the emblem of the National Museum is Simuwu Ding. In addition, the 34.5kg bronze Four Ram Zun Vessel of the Shang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty Tricolor Pottery with Musician and Dancing Figures on Camelback excavated in Xian in 1957 and the Jade Shroud Sewn with Gold Thread for the emperor and nobility of the Han Dynasty are also top treasures of the museum.

Courtesy of China Tourism Board