Located to the north of the Tiananmen Square, the Tiananmen Gate is a vermilion building with yellow glazed tiles, glistening in the sunlight with all its beauty, splendor and grandeur.
The Gate measuring 43.7 meters in height and with a facade of 62.77 meters wide was first constructed in the 15th year of Emperor Yongle's Reign in the Ming Dynasty (1417 AD), and has a history of over 500 years. This solemn architecture of national style with double eaves, has 60 grand red columns, 8 ball-shaped palace lanterns hanging high, white balustrade, yellow tiles, red beams and painted pillars, which in the arrangement of either colors or structures shine in its entirety, with the extraordinary beauty of harmony. Looking up, one sees the four roof-ridges with an orderly array of figurines of dragons, phoenix, lions, unicorns, heavenly horses, fighting bulls and other animals, which are vivid and brilliant. But under the up-turned roof-eaves, there are lightly painted graceful pictures of golden dragon and imperial seal, golden phoenix and imperial seal, dragon brocade and imperial seal, dragon phoenix and imperial seal etc. which are known as palace color pictures with a history of several hundred years. Among them, "The Golden Dragon and Imperial Seal", as the symbol of imperial power is the supreme one in standard. The Heavenly Peace Gate Tower, in part or whole is an embodiment of "honor, dignity, luxury, solemnity and magnificence."
On October 1st of 1949, Chairman Mao proclaimed on the Tiananmen Rostrum to the world "The People's Republic of China has been founded, and hence the Chinese People have stood up!"
Ascending to the Tiananmen Rostrum, one has a clear view of the slightly rippling Golden River, the marble bridges carved with coiling dragons, the imposing crouching stone lions, the sculptured marble columns, the solemn Monument to the People's Heroes, the grand Watch Tower of Qianmen, the flower beds, the green lawns, the thoroughfares, the skyscrapers etc, which so picturesque and fascinating, induce fantastic reveries.
Tiananmen Now
Tiananmen in 1951
14 streams of light representing the 14th Communist Party of China Congress in 1992
The ceremony when the People's Republic was founded in 1949
The ceremony of the 50th anniversary of PRC in 1999
Tianammen appears on the following banknote(s):
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