Early that morning we started our day a bit late around 10am (smpai hotel semalam pun dh lewat kan...). Had a light breakfast (3in1 nestum and biscuits), donned our trench coat, muffler scarf and boots, maps on hand... then we were ready to explore!
Out from the Hotel.....
The street from our Hotel heading to nearest Subway Station. Lets start to walk!!
Look at what we found... an electric car! So cute...
Quite typical here... tricycle.
Reaching the main road. Dengshikou.
Subway station nearby.
Lots of construction activity here.
Stopped by at entrance of this shop as the decoration was unique. Cat is a symbol of luck hence why these statues of cat were place infront of the shop; to bring fortune to the owner.
Bicycle is also one of the major transport here in Beijing.
Arrived at the nearest Subway station.
Our first destination that day was to i) Tiananmen Square.
It is said that if Beijing is the centre of the Chinese universe, then Tiananmen Square is it's heart!
Tiananmen Square is a Chinese national symbol representing a monumental gate of valor. It is dedicated to the martyrs who revolted against the country’s oppressors and depicted a revolutionary symbol of the Chinese heyday. Located at the heart of Beijing, the Chinese capital city, Tiananmen Square is within the top ten largest city squares in the world and has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. It is in this symbolic place, where the establishment of the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed to the world by the then Chairman Mao, way back in 1949.
Direction:
(i) The easiest way is by Subway Line 1 and get off at Tiananmen Dong (East) or Tiananmen Xi (West) Station. Both the stations are between the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. You can get off from either of them. Tiananmen West Station is nearer, but the queues for security check there would be longer.
ii) Other subway option is Subway Line 2 and get off at Qianmen Station, then come out from Exit A, the Tianmen Square is just in front of you.
Entrance Fee:
The entrance fee is free; however they may levy a minimal entrance fee for visiting other specific places inside the Square, as follows:
Tiananmen Square: Free
Tiananmen Tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace): RMB 15
The Great Hall of the People: RMB 30
Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum: Free
The National Museum of China: Free
Operating Hour:
The Tiananmen Square Opening hours are from 05:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Our route from hotel : Walk ==> Dengshikou Stn (Line 5) ==> Dongdan (Exchange Line 1) ==> Tiananmen East Stn (Line 1)
Arrived. We Just follow the correct exit to your destination.
As a must place to visit in Beijing City, Tiananmen Square is flocked by visitors throughout the year and especially on festive seasons when it will be too much crowded. Thousands of people come to the Square every day so the best times to visit here is early in the morning. We however reached here not so early... almost 11am. 😅😅 Huhuhuhhu.
Line of buses dropping and collecting passengers at Tiananmen Square.
This area was big... and a bit wet due to snow a day before. Temperature was 2deg... very cold!! Nevertheless without wasted any time, we started to stroll along the square. The view with the trees was beautifull. Surprisingly not much people at that time!
Major attraction here is the Tiananmen (Gate of Heaven Peace) located on the north part of Tiananment Square.
Hang on... we will reach there soon!
I was on the west part. The Tiananmen at North.
There are also other attractions and activities you can visit and watch here in Tiananmen Square as follows:
1. Flag-Raising Ceremony
Five Star Red Flag-the Chinese national flag, flies high in the sky above Tiananmen Square. One notable sight worth mentioning in the Tiananmen Square is the flag-hoisting ceremony, although it lasts only for a few minutes.If you are an early riser, try to get a glimpse of the ceremonial flag hoisting event as it draws the maximum crowd in the morning bliss. However since I reached here a bit late, I missed that one :(
2. The Great Hall of the People
The Great Hall of the People is situated on the western fringe of Tiananmen Square. As the name suggests, it serves as the congressional meeting place for the Chinese lawmakers. Built-in 1959, the central hall combines a scenic marble flooring design with crystal lamps being suspended from the ceiling. There is also an auditorium which can accommodate 10,000 people apart from a 5000-seater banquet hall. Also, take a look at the marvelously crafted twelve marble pillars at the front of this Hall.
Mind you there's an admission fee as mentioned above and operation hours average between 8.00am - 4.00pm (Winter 9.00am to 2.00pm).
We started our tour here. Just took photo in front of the building.
3. National Museum of China
Another important place for the tourist to visit is the China National Museum at the east side of Tiananmen Square. It just came into existence in 2003 and is a combination of Chinese History Museum and Chinese Revolutionary Museum. This National Museum faces the Great Hall of the People. Inside the Chinese Revolutionary Museum are a lot of material objects, pictures, books and models to present the development of modern China. The Chinese History Museum shows a large number of cultural relics illustrating the long history and glorious culture of China from 1,700,000 years ago to 1921 when the last emperor left the throne.
Operation hour is from 9:00am to 5.00pm, closed on Monday.
The Museum from West Side.
Had to cross the road to take photo in front of the museum.
4. The Monument to the People’s Heroes
The granite Monument to the People's Heroes is located in the mid-southern part of the Tiananmen Square. Built in 1952, it is the largest monument in China's history. "The People's Heroes are Immortal" written by Chairman Mao is engraved on the monument. Eight unusually large relief sculptures show to the people the development of Chinese modern history. Two rows of white marble railings enclose the monument, simple and beautiful.
From East, crossed the road again to Southern part... lenggang kangkung gituew :D
The monument area.
The monument at my back.
Closer.
Description.
5) Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao
Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao is at the south side of Tiananmen Square next to the monument. It is also known as Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Mao Mausoleum and Maozhuxi Jinian Tang in Chinese, 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. This Hall is divided into three halls and the Chairman Mao's body lies in a crystal coffin in one of the halls surrounded by fresh bouquets of various famous flowers and grasses.
Entrance fee is FREE and the operating hours average from 8:00am - 12:00pm daily; closed on Monday.
All the above attractions, due to limited time, we didn't went in and just took photos only. Our main focus was actually to visit the most famous attraction here but I will spill the bean later. Lets continue on another attraction here...
6) Tiananmen Tower
At the north end of the Square is Tiananmen Tower which is the major attraction in Tiananmen Square. Initially built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D.- 1644 A.D.), the tower was the front door of the Forbidden City which it served as the gatehouse of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Besides that, it was also a place to declare in a big ceremony to the common people who became the emperor and who became the empress.
Until 1911 when the last feudal kingdom was over, no one could enter the Tower except for the royal family and aristocrats.
There's an admission fee as mentioned above and operation hours is from 8:30am - 5.00pm.
Tiananmen Tower from far.
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.
Can you see the archways?. Got 5 of it and the centre/largest is just beneath the potrait of Chairman Mao.
From the South side, there's a pedestrian subway to the North side, where's the Tiananmen Tower located.
Finally, let's go to the tower. No need to cross the road anymore.
The western and eastern walls of the Gate have giant placards; the left one reads "Long Live the People's Republic of China" (中华人民共和国万岁; Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó wànsuì), while the right one reads "Long Live the Great Unity of the World's Peoples" (世界人民大团结万岁; Shìjiè rénmín dà tuánjié wànsuì). Both placards were changed to use simplified Chinese instead of traditional Chinese characters in 1964. The phrasing has significant symbolic meaning, as the phrase used for long live, like the Imperial City itself, was traditionally reserved for Emperors of China, but is now available to the common people.
Arrived in front of the Gate and you can see the placards on the right and left.
More closer photo. Security Guard standing in front of the Gate of Heavenly Place (Tiananmen), at the entrance of the Forbidden City.
Stone and bronze lions are popular as symbolic guardians. Carved in 1420, during Ming Dynasty, these lions stand on the north and south of the Golden Water Bridge. The lions are always in pairs, with the lions in the east playing with a ball are male and the ones in the west playing with a baby lion are female.
Can you see that this lion playing with a ball on his right feet? So definitely you can guess either it is male of female right? Yes, it's a male 😆
What draws the crowd’s attention is the famous portrait of Chairman Mao at the entrance of the Forbidden City. It is the perfect spot for sharing a frame with the most iconic figure in the history of the People’s Republic of China.
No wonder not so much people at other's attraction. All visitors already reached and packed here.
Did I told you that besides the Tiananmen Tower, another major plan here was to visit Forbidden City. This place definitely shouldn't be missed and very synonyms to China or to be exact Beijing.
And due to there is just one entrance to Forbidden City which is through Meridian / Southern Gate (Wumen) and the Southern Gate located at the Tiananmen Tower, therefore we have to join the crowds to enter the Tiananmen Tower first!
See I told ya.... ramainya umat manusia!
During the queue, we could see closer potrait of Chairman Mao.
You can see that only one entrance to get through the gate. It was a long line, however fast moving.
And finally we already inside the Tiananmen Tower area.....
Entrance from the Tiananmen Gate at my back.
Such a long post isn't it? I think I will stop now and continue on next post but before that I shared some guides for your info before visiting Tiananmen Square.
Some Important Guidelines
- Tiananmen Square is a strategic place of National significance and is often guarded by armed and undercover cops. All the visitors need to pass through the security clearance checkpoint while visiting this Square. Always make sure to keep your travel documents and passport ready at all times. Also, make sure not to carry any items that may be of any suspicious nature to the armed policemen while they are on a frisking drive. If you find something not worth carrying, you should deposit it somewhere else or should leave such items in the hotel room before you enter the Tiananmen Square.
- Make sure to avoid visiting Tiananmen Square in the first week of June as it will be a highly sensitive zone and will bring in extra security. Time your visit for another day in case you happen to visit around this time of the year.
- Also, make sure to avoid clothes that have a political message or ideology, or with religious themes, or pictures that depict death or otherwise. You may not want to get embroiled in an unwarranted situation at Tiananmen Square.
- Any iconic place which draws a lot of crowds has its fair share of pros and cons. Avoid strangers who might pose to be any less significant and offers you a hand on the photos or for an English lesson or two. Even though such encounters might be harmless, try to have minimal contact with them and rush to a nearby police officer if they violate your personal space. Always remain vigilant of your surroundings while being a friendly visitor to this iconic tourist hub.
- The tourists and visitors receive a lot of local attention and might end up being in a company or two. Also, avoid the hawkers which might take ‘no’ for an answer, so kindly put up a smile and walk away casually. Tiananmen Square is safe at night with proper street lightings, but it is closed by midnight.
- Bikes must be walked through Tiananmen Square.
- There are certain things one needs to pay heed to while visiting Tiananmen Square. This place bears a cultural and traditional significance in the lives of the Chinese populace and the Government alike. You should be avoiding provocative statements or gestures that might irk fellow travelers or local visitors. Also, do not over-rush things up, like running around in the public glaze, or attempting to trespass others private space unknowingly. Always bear in mind that this is a sacred place for the Chinese people and consider it the same to make the difference while you pay some respect to this historic place.
Thats all for now... Chiaow!!
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