Which direction does Tiananmen face?

Tiananmen is located in the center of Beijing, facing north and south.

1. Tiananmen

Tiananmen is located in the center of Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, at the southern end of the Forbidden City, and is closely connected with Tiananmen Square, the Monument to the People's Heroes, and Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. , the Great Hall of the People, and the National Museum of China face each other across Chang'an Street, covering an area of ??4,800 square meters. It has attracted the attention of the world for its outstanding architectural art and special political status.

Tiananmen was the main entrance to the imperial city of Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was built in the 15th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1417). It was originally named "Chengtianmen", which means "carrying destiny and receiving orders from heaven". meaning. The designer was Kuai Xiang, a royal architect of the Ming Dynasty. In the eighth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1651), it was renamed Tiananmen Square. It consists of two parts: the city platform and the city tower. It has a white marble Xumizuo with a total height of 34.7 meters. Tiananmen Gate Tower is 66 meters long and 37 meters wide. There are five gates under the city platform. The middle gate is the largest and is located on the central axis of the Imperial City of Beijing. In the past, only the emperor could enter and exit through this gate. A portrait of Mao Zedong hangs above the central doorway, and on both sides are large slogans "Long live the Republic of the People's Republic of China" and "Long live the great unity of the people of the world."

On October 10, the 14th year of the Republic of China (1925), the Palace Museum was established and Tiananmen Square began to open to the public. On October 1, 1949, the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China was held here, and it was designed into the national emblem and became a symbol of the People's Republic of China. In 1961, the State Council of the People's Republic of China announced it as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

2. Structural shape

Tiananmen is located on the traditional central axis of Beijing. It consists of a city platform and a city tower. It has a majestic shape and a grand momentum. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Tiananmen was the main entrance to the imperial city. It had five gates, nine double towers, and a height of 33.87 meters. After renovation in 1970, it was 34.7 meters high.

Tiananmen Gate Tower

The Tiananmen Gate Tower is a traditional Chinese double-eaves hilltop building, which consists of four sloping tops, a main ridge, four vertical ridges, and four vertical ridges (vertical ridges). The lower end is folded into a strip) and the upper part of the sloping layers on both sides are turned into vertical triangular walls, forming a hybrid form of two-slope and four-slope roofs. Therefore, it is called "eight eaves and nine ridges". [4] The city tower is a wooden structure building, and under the eaves of the main hall are orderly arranged brackets and beams. Dougong is unique to the traditional Chinese wooden frame system. It is a wooden component with the characteristics of warping, elevating and arching. The beam beams are divided into forehead beams and eaves beams. Below the brackets is the forehead beam, with colorful paintings and golden dragon patterns on it. The components between the pillars are called eaves beams, with patterns of golden dragons and seals.

The main building of the tower is divided into upper and lower floors. The upper floor is a majestic tower with double eaves and a mountain-style roof, with a yellow glazed tile roof. It is nine bays wide from east to west and five bays deep from north to south. It is numbered "nine-five" to symbolize the dignity of the emperor. There are 36 doors and windows in diamond pattern on the front. Most of the wood used in the tower is nanmu. There are 60 red-painted wooden columns with a diameter of 92 centimeters in the main hall, which bear most of the weight of the roof building. They are arranged neatly, with caissons and beams on the top of the pillars, and auspicious colorful paintings of golden dragons and group dragon patterns. The 36 doors and windows on the front are in the traditional Chinese rhombus pattern. The ceiling caissons on the roof are painted with dragon patterns. The criss-crossing beams and squares in the hall are painted with golden dragons and seals; 17 quaint large palace lanterns, the largest The first one is called the main lamp, with 8 sides, a total height of 6 meters, a diameter of 2.8 meters, and a weight of about 450 kilograms; the remaining 16 are 6-sided auxiliary lamps, each with a height of 6 meters, a diameter of 2.2 meters, and a weight of about 350 kilograms. Kilogram. Each lamp has a small umbrella-shaped lamp in the corner. The floor is entirely paved with gold bricks, covering an area of ??about 2,000 square meters. The main and vertical ridges of the roof are decorated with chikiss, immortals and animals.

The lower level is a 13-meter-high vermilion city platform, surrounded by a low wall capped with glazed tiles. The lower part is a 1.59-meter-high beautifully carved white marble Xumizuo platform, which is topped by a red pier more than 10 meters high. , built with large bricks each weighing 43 kilograms. There are white marble railings and railings around the base of the tower, with lotus and vase patterns carved on them.

Chengtai

Chengtai has a total area of ??4,800 square meters. There is a hundred-level staircase on the east and west sides for going up and down the tower, commonly known as a horse path. There are also 5 arched door openings, the middle door opening is the largest, 8.82 meters high and 5.25 meters wide. Only the emperor can enter and exit. There are five gates under the city platform. The middle gate is the largest and is located on the central axis of the Imperial City of Beijing. In the past, only the emperor could enter and exit through this gate. A huge portrait of Mao Zedong hangs above the central doorway, with two large slogans on both sides.

3. Status value

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the gate was the place where the emperor issued edicts. Known as the "Golden Phoenix Edict", Tiananmen Square will be activated when a new emperor ascends the throne, a wedding and other major celebrations, and when the emperor's parents enter the palace. Only when offering sacrifices to heaven, earth and grain every year can one enter or leave through this door. In addition, major ceremonies such as the emperor's wedding, generals sacrificing flags when they go on expeditions, imperial chariots offering sacrifices to roads during personal expeditions, and the autumn trials of the Ministry of Punishment are also held here. At the same time, it is also the place for "Jindian Chuanlu".

The Tiananmen Gate Tower has a stable and solemn appearance without losing its beautiful curves. It is indeed a rare masterpiece among ancient buildings. Its ingenious structural layout and exquisite construction craftsmanship embody the wisdom and great creation of China's working people for thousands of years, and embody their superb architectural level and artistic expression. It is not only a glorious masterpiece in the history of ancient Chinese palace architecture, but also a symbol of the long history of Chinese civilization.

After 1949, Tiananmen has become a symbol of modern China and was designed into the national emblem. With its rich historical connotation of more than 500 years, Tiananmen is a highly condensed ancient Chinese civilization and modern civilization. At the same time, it is also a symbol of New China and has unparalleled political attention and fascination. It has become a place that the world and people of all ethnic groups in China yearn for.

Reference materials

Baidu Encyclopedia: /item/E5A4A9E5AE89E997A8/63708?fr=aladdin