The Radical Travel Guide to Beijing, China: The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

The Forbidden City

• "Gu Gong" in Mandarin Chinese.
• Located in the center of Beijing.
• Built between 1406 and 1420 during the Ming Dynasty.
• Former imperial palace was home to 24 Chinese emperors over 491 years from 1420-1911.
• Total space of more than 720,000 square meters.
• Audio tours available in English narrated by movie actor Roger Moore.
• Ticket counter available inside the city walls.
• Comment: Walking the length of the city can last a couple of hours.

Tiananmen Square

• "Tian an men" in Mandarin Chinese.
• Translation: "heavenly peace gate" - referring to the gate to its north.
• Built in 1417.
• It covers an area of 440,000 square meters.
• Tiananmen is adjacent to the Forbidden City.
• Largest public square in the world.
• To the North: Tiananmen Gate which leads into the Forbidden City.
• To the South: Qianmen Gate.
• To the East: National Museum of Chinese History.
• To the West: Great Hall of the People.
• Mao Zedong's mausoleum is located on the square.

How to get there

• Taxi, subway (tian an men west station stop), bus.

Comment: Visiting these locations is absolutely necessary for anyone touring Beijing.

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