Hi! Tiananmen

Weather: Clear
Temperature: 35

After my second interview (which lasted for only 1 hour), I decided to walk around the city of Beijing with the ultimate aim of visiting Tiananmen Square.

I walked from Kerry Centre in Guanghua Rd. From the map, I knew that if I keep walking west I will reach the Forbidden City and Tiananmen. One thing I like about Beijing is the town planning. Everything is so clear. They divide the city into 2nd ring, 3rd ring, 4th ring and 5th ring, each ring represents a huge square with 2nd ring being the inner ring, 5th ring being the outer ring. You only find huge sky scrapers in 4th ring and 5th ring (the outer rings), so when you see tall concrete modern buildings, you know where you are.

Walking to Tiananmen from Kerry Centre was quite pleasant (though later when I told the cab driver I walked to Tiananmen, he said I must be crazy). The weather was good, not too hot. After 1 and a half hour of walking (oh I forget to mention that I was wearing a tie and holding a brief case and a blazer in my hands because I just came out from an interview), I saw this magnificent Qianmen 前门 (formerly known as Zhengyangmen 正陽門) right in front of my eyes.

Qianmen

From Qianmen, I walked north to Chairman Mao Mausoleum but unfortunately it was closed for renovation. It will remain closed until 20th September. What a shame, because there is no entrance fee.

From Chairman Mao Mausoleum I continued to walk north for about 10 minutes and soon I saw this familiar historical building called Tiananmen 天安门 (gate of heavenly peace).

My first step on Tiananmen Square

Let’s talk about Tiananmen. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and was originally named Chengtianmen 承天门 (gate of accepting heavenly mandate). Following the establishment of the Qing Dynasty and the Manchu conquest of China proper, the gate was rebuilt and was given its present name in 1651. The Tiananmen is located along the northern edge of Tiananmen Square.

So what’s so special about Tiananmen that you have to visit it before you could consider yourself visited Beijing?

Well, for a starter, Tiananmen is featured in the emblem of People's Republic of China. Further, this is the place where the proclamation of People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong on 1st October 1949 took place. Remember the mass rallies during the Cultural Revolution? It was here too. Not to forget the May Forth Movement of 1919 for science and democracy. If you have no idea what I am talking about, it's about time to dig out your history books.

One political and historical event that could not be missed out whenever the name Tiananmen is mentioned is the Tiananmen Square Protest of 1989. That was a bitter, painful and unforgettable experience and lesson for all Chinese in the world.

That year I was 9 years old. But I remember it vividly like I remember Ben Johnson cheated in the 1988 Olympic.

Students and protestors were brutally killed. My teacher told us about the news and described Chinese government as evil and cold-blooded. That was my first impression on China: evil and cold blooded.

The exact spot where a hero blocked an army of tanks

Things change so fast. Now when I walked on the square, I didn’t smell the blood of 1989. The ghosts of 1989 had long vanished. The Tiananmen Square is peaceful and filled with curious tourists from around the world.

This gigantic building had withstood the storm of history. Tiananmen was burnt down and destroyed many times over the years, but despites the adversities, it now stands with confidence and dignity and represents the face of Beijing for the world to witness.

I got a little emotional when I took pictures of Tiananmen. There was a black and white photo of my grandparents standing in front of Tiananmen. My grandparents were here. And now 20 years after, their grandson is holding a camera, standing on the spot where they have stood, walking the path where they have walked, and if things go as according to plan, staying in the country where they were born. Isn’t that amazing?