Tiananmen Square: Largest Central Square in the World

There are destinations that we discovered as we continuously read travel books, watch travel shows, and search in the internet. Places that attract our attentions and dream that one day we can visit them.

One of the famous landmarks in the capital city of China that caught my attention is the TIANANMEN Square. According to several blogs that I read, TIANANMEN literally means "GATE OF HEAVENLY PEACE". It is considered as the Largest Central Square in the World.

So the moment I was selected to attend my Command and Staff Course in BEIJING, I was excited that I have the great chance to finally visit the famous destination. According to initial information from the college staff, the class will have an official visit to the place so I skipped it as one of my destinations during weekends and holidays. I have to double time in my personal explorations since Beijing has numerous tourist spots which are not included in the program itinerary of educational tours. Beijing City alone is 26 times bigger than the whole Metro Manila! The most exciting part of exploring Beijing is the presence of an efficient transportation system especially the SUBWAY SYSTEM with about 17 interconnected lines. The train arrives every 2 minutes in the terminal. 

In April of 2016 during the second semester of our course in Beijing, the dream of visiting the TIANANMEN SQUARE finally happened! 

It was another exciting trip for the members of the 17th Command and Staff Course.

The main attractions at the Tiananmen Square are the Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, National Museum, and the National Flag Raising Ceremony.

The National Flag Raising Ceremony happens everyday at sunrise. A professional national flag raising group was formed. According to Astronomical knowledge, it takes 2 minutes and 7 seconds for the sun to fully rise above the horizon. As a result, the National Flag Raising Ceremony is being done at exactly 2 minutes and 7 seconds for the flag to rise from the ground up to the top of the flagpole.

The Chairman Ma Zedong Memorial Hall is closed during Mondays. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 12noon.

The present Tiananmen Square has an sprawling area of 440,000 square meters and serves as the relaxing place for common people to fly kites and walk. 

On holidays, the whole square is covered with fresh flowers.

Upon entering the Square, all of us were amazed of how the structures were conceptualized, designed, and constructed.

The TIANANMEN SQUARE was built in 1417 during the reign of Emperor Chengzu  during the MING DYNASTY(1368-1644). It served as the gate of IMPERIAL CITY during that time. 

TIANANMEN SQUARE is situated at the CENTER of BEIJING CITY and located at the midpoint of CHANGAN AVENUE.

There are available tourist guides who can speak different languages, including Filipino. The charge for availing the services of the Tour Guide is 40 RMB or 280 pesos.

There are about 50,000 visitors everyday and about 18 to 19 million annual tourists at the TIANANMEN SQUARE.

The Square can accommodate a total of 1 million people.

Thanks GOD for another wonderful journey and for the realization of one of my dreams!