Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cinating photographic history of the gate (but only captioned in Chinese) and
Tiān'ānmén Sq.
There's no fee for walking through the gate, en route to the Forbidden City, but if
you climb it you'll have to pay. The ticket office is on the north side of the gate. For
Forbidden City tickets, keep walking about 600m further north to the entrance at
Meridian Gate.
DON'T MISS
»
Mao's giant portrait
»
Views of Tiān'ānmén Sq
»
Impressive interior beams
»
Photography exhibition
PRACTICALITIES
»
Tiān'ānmén
»
admission to climb ¥15, bag storage ¥2-6
»
8.30am-4.30pm
»
Tian'anmen West or Tian'anmen East
ZHŌNGSHĀN PARK
|PARK
( Zhōngshān Gōngyuán; adult ¥3, Spring Flower & Tulips Show ¥10; 6am-9pm; Tian'anmen West)
Named
after Sun Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen), the father of modern China, this peaceful park sits at
the southwest corner of the Forbidden City and partly looks out onto the palace's moat
and towering walls. A refreshing prologue or conclusion to the magnificence of the For-
bidden City, the park was formerly the sacred Ming-style Altar to the God of the Land and
the God of Grain (Shèjìtán), where the emperor offered sacrifices. The
Square Altar
ours. Near the park entrance stands a towering dark-blue-tiled
páilou
(traditional Chinese
archway) with triple eaves that originally commemorated the German Foreign Minister
Baron von Ketteler, killed by Boxers in 1900. In the eastern section of the park is the For-
City, April and May is a beautiful time to visit thanks to the hugely colourful
Spring
