What are the two rows of characters on Tiananmen Square?

The two rows of words on Tiananmen Square are Long Live the Communist Party of China and Long Live the Great Unity of the People of the World.

Tiananmen is located on the traditional central axis of Beijing. It is composed of two parts: the city platform and the city tower. It has a majestic shape and 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.

A portrait of Mao Zedong hangs above the central door of Tiananmen. On both sides are large slogans "Long live the Communist Party of China" and "Long live the great unity of the people of the world." The hanging portrait of Mao Zedong is elegant in shape and is a representative work of traditional Chinese architectural art.

Extended information

Tiananmen was originally the main entrance to the imperial city of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was first built in the fifteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1417) and completed in the eighteenth year of Yongle (1420). ), because it was modeled after the Chengtian Gate built in Nanjing, it was also named Chengtian Gate, which means "carrying heaven's destiny" and "taking orders from heaven". According to historical records, at that time Chengtian Gate was just a three-story wooden archway with yellow tiles and cornices, with ventilation on all sides. The plaque "Chengtian Gate" hung in the middle of the archway.

The designer of Chengtian Gate was Kuai Xiang from Jiangsu, who was hailed as "Kuai Lu Ban" by his contemporaries. In July of the first year of Tianshun reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty (1457), Chengtianmen was attacked by thunder and fire and burned down. In the first year of Chenghua (1465), the Ming Xian sect sent Bai Gui, Minister of Works, to rebuild Chengtianmen. It was expanded from the original five rooms wide to nine rooms wide, and the archway style was also transformed into a palace style, which basically established the scale of Tiananmen today.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Chengtianmen was destroyed by fire again, leaving only five bare door openings, and the upper half was gone. In the second year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1645), Chengtianmen was rebuilt. It was completed in the eighth year of Shunzhi (1651 AD). It generally became the current style and was officially named Tiananmen, which is still in use today. In the twenty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign (1688), Tiananmen underwent a large-scale renovation.

People's Daily Online - History of Tiananmen

Baidu Encyclopedia - Tiananmen