Beijing China | Tian'anmen Square

Beijing's Tiananmen Square

Text & Images - Copyright © 2009 Kevin Hulsey

Tian'anmen Square is etched into the memories of most Americans as a result of the iconic photograph from 1989 of the lone man (aka "tank Man" or Wang Weilin) who stood down the Chinese People's Liberation Army's tanks during a student protest for increased political freedoms. Those photos, by AP journalist Jeff Widener and Stuart Franklin of Magnum Photos, did more to change the Chinese government than the government will acknowledge.

During the late 1980s, the Soviet Union's totalitarian regime was collapsing, and the Chinese PRC (People's Republic of China) leadership under Deng Xiaoping saw a wave of democracy sweeping across the communist world. Under Deng's wise leadership, the PRC realized that by brutally suppressing a democratic movement, they were risking an all-out revolution.

Tian'anmen's History During the Ming Dynasty

In 1403, the third Ming Emperor Yongle moved China's capital from Nanjing (then Nanking) to Peking, which was renamed "Beijing," or "northern capital."

During the early Ming Dynasty, Beijing, which was also known simply as Jingshi, or "capital," began to take shape. The City Wall, Forbidden City, and its southern-most Tian'anmen gate (photo at top of page) were also constructed.

The Tian'anmen south gate to the Forbidden City was completed in 1417. During the Qing Dynasty in 1699, the gate was renovated and renamed "Tian'anmen," or "Gate of Heavenly Peace."

The Birth of Tian'anmen "Square"

Until the late 1800s, the land to the south of Tian'anmen Gate was built up with imperial state buildings, but the area was destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion in 1899. It was subsequently cleared to produce the public square that later became known as "Tian'anmen Square."

Mao Zedong (aka "The Great Helmsman") was in favor of "modernization," and had a strong desire to erase China's Imperial past. During the Cultural Revolution, the Ming-era city walls were torn down, and the "Second Ring Road" was built in its place. The Forbidden City was converted to the "Palace Museum," and its Tian'anmen Gate was given a new purpose as a PRC propaganda billboard.

Under Mao's leadership, Tian'anmen Square and the adjacent Xichang'an Jie Avenue became a staging-ground for military processions and May-Day parades, during which the government displayed the latest hardware and military might of the PLA.

Opening of China Under Deng Xiaoping

With the culmination of the student uprising in 1989, a tipping point had been reached in China. By the early 1990s, the PRC dramatically reversed its policy of Communist hegemony, and began to allow a blending of authoritarian totalitarianism and hyper-capitalism. Although China's economic experiment started in the Shenzhen "special economic zone" near Hong Kong, it soon spread across China like a wildfire.

This reversal of Mao's "great leap forward" turned out to be a positive change for the Chinese government. The PRC government was embraced as being "forward looking" because it allowed enough economic freedom to placate the people. This result is quite different than what transpired in Eastern Europe, where intransigent governments became impotent, and were eventually overthrown.

Today, Tian'anmen Square is a much different place than it was nearly two decades ago. Other than the looming image of Mao Zedong on the south gate of the Forbidden City, or the "waving Mao" wristwatches that the trinket sellers are hawking in the square, there is little influence remaining from the Cultural Revolution of 1949 that was omnipresent in previous decades.

A common sentiment that you will hear from locals is that "Mao Zedong closed China; Deng Xiaoping opened China." While the PLA still maintains a watchful eye over the goings-on at Tian'anmen Square, it seems to be more about protecting tourists from pickpockets and scam-artists rather than suppressing political dissidents.

Tian'anmen Square Map

In its present incarnation, Tian'anmen Square is the largest urban square in the world, covering 440,000 square meters in the center of the city.

Satellite Image & Map of Tian'anmen Square