Tiananmen

The Gate of Heavenly Peace (Chinese 天安門 / 天安门, pinyin Tiān'ānmén) on the north side of the square of the same name is the main entrance to the Forbidden City, the imperial palace in Beijing. It is the place from which Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. That is why the gate appears in the national emblem of the People's Republic of China.

Originally, the gate was called Chéngtiānmén (Chinese 承天門 / 承天门 - "gate that carries the sky").

The inscriptions, which are to the right and left of the central passage, read as follows:

Left: 中华人民共和国万岁

(Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó wànsuì "Long Live the People's Republic of China!")

Right: 世界人民大团结万岁

(Shìjiè rénmín dà tuánjié wànsuì "Long live the great unity of the peoples of the world!")

The gate was built during the construction of the palace complex in 1417 under the third Ming Emperor Yongle and was burned down by the rebels under Li Zicheng at the end of the Ming Dynasty. It was rebuilt again during the Qing Dynasty. In December 1969, the original, dilapidated gate was completely demolished in an operation kept secret until 2000, under the pretext of renovation work, and faithfully rebuilt, except for a few details, by April 1970. It has a total height of 33.7 meters and plays a central role in Chinese history. At the Gate of Heavenly Peace proclamations of the emperor were read and here the emperor offered sacrifices when he left the palace.

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39.9072444444116.39140833333Coordinates: 39° 54′ 26.1″ N, 116° 23′ 29.1″ E