TIAN'ANMEN SQUARE

It is now the heart of Beijing and the largest place in the world. Built between 1958 and 1960 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the People's Republic (1959), this symbolic inscription of political reality in urban space is accompanied by a grandiose architectural perspective. In the middle of its 40 hectares is the monument to the Heroes of the people, and then facing the Forbidden City stands the mausoleum of the new Emperor Mao; to the West, the People's Assembly and, to the east, the Museum of History and Revolution.

So here's a concrete mass of a Stalinist neo-classical bill designed by Soviet experts for a «1,000-year-old» regime. Once a popular arena at the gates of the Imperial Palace, this place remained a great place for the expression of the masses: demonstrations of Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution; tribute to the great leader Zhou Enlai in 1976; It is here that the students chose to scroll for democracy in 1989, or that the regime celebrated the 60 years of the People's Republic in October 2009. The place is always monitored by the police, sometimes closed to avoid mass movements at important events and anniversaries. By entering the square, you'll look for the control cameras that bordering Tian 'anmen. Make sure Tian 'anmen Square is also a popular Chinese walking place that likes to get immortalized on a photo before the impressive portrait of Mao overlooking the Tian' anmen door. The Pekinians also fly their kites, and the must of the provincial and some tourists is to come to the military ritual: every morning, at dawn, the soldiers of the People's Army hate the red flag and every evening at night it drops down.

This mythical place, around which the history of contemporary China has built, is a good starting point for visiting the Chinese capital. Take a small tour of the square before visiting the Forbidden City.