Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gate of Heavenly Peace
天安门
天安门
Adorned with a huge portrait of Mao, this double-eaved
gate
(admission ¥15; bag storage ¥2-6;
8.30am-4.30pm)
to the north of the square gives its name,
Tiananmen,
to the square. Built in
the 15th century and restored in the 17th, it's guarded by two pairs of Ming
stone lions
.
You can climb the gate for excellent views of the square, and there's a good photo exhibi-
tion here, too.
National Museum of China
中国国际博物馆
中国国际博物馆
After years of renovation, China's premier
museum
(admission free with passport; 9am-5pm Tue-
Sun)
has finally reopened. Housed in an immense, Stalinist-style building on the eastern
side of the square, it was still a work in progress at the time of writing, but the
Ancient
China
exhibition on the basement floor is outstanding, while the
Bronze Art
and
Buddhist Sculpture
galleries are also impressive.
Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
毛主席纪念堂
毛主席纪念堂
One of the few freebies in Beijing is the chance to see the preserved body of the Great
Helmsman, who is laid out in a crystal cabinet in this
memorial hall
(admission free with pass-
port, bag storage ¥2-10, camera storage ¥2-5; 8am-noon Tue-Sun)
towards the south of the square.
Reverent dom- estic tourists file past in their droves, so be respectful. Occasional mainten-
ance means that Mao's body isn't always here. The compulsory bag check is across the
street.
Front Gate
前前门
The
Front Gate
(admission ¥20; 9am-4pm Tue-Sun; Qianmen)
, or
Qianmen,
at the south of
the square actually consists of two gates, which once formed part of the old inner city
walls. The northernmost gate is the 40m-high
Zhengyang Gate
, which can be climbed
for decent views of the square and has a fascinating exhibition of historical photos. Direc-
tly south is
Zhengyang Gate Arrow Tower
, which you can't climb.
Great Hall of the People
人民大会堂
人民大会堂
The venue of China's legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), the
Great Hall
of the People
(admission ¥30, bag deposit ¥2-5; 8.30am-3pm)
, to the west of the square, is open
to the public when the NPC isn't in session. The tour includes the 10,000-seat auditorium
