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Tiananmen Square Review

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Tiananmen Square

Address: Bounded by Chang'an Jie to the north and Quanmen Dajie to the south, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Category: Squares
Location: Dongcheng District

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 5.0/5

Fodor's Review:

The world's largest public square, and the very heart of modern China, Tiananmen Square owes little to grand imperial designs and everything to Mao Zedong. Young protesters who assembled here in the 1919 May Fourth Movement established a tradition of patriotic dissent, which was repeated in 1989. Today the square is packed with sightseers, families, and undercover policemen. Although formidable, the square is a little bleak, with no shade, benches, or trees. Come here at night for an eerie experience—it's a little like being on a film set.

Cost: Free
Open: 24-hours year-round
Metro: Tiananmen East

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by ozpk from Sydney, Australia on 11/22/06
For those of us who grew up with Communist China as the bogeyman, and later watched on TV the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989, standing in the Square is an experience hard to describe. Only the persistent cry of "You buy Rolex" to remind you that this is the new China, and Mao is safely in his Mausoleum at the South end of the Square.