Tiananmen

Tiananmen in 2009

The Tiananmen is a monument in Beijing, China. It is widely used as a national symbol of China. It was built during the Ming dynasty in 1420. Tiananmen was the entrance to the Imperial City, within which the Forbidden City was located. Tiananmen is located to the north of Tiananmen Square, separated from the plaza by Chang'an Avenue.

Name

The Chinese name for the gate (天安门/天安門) uses the Chinese characters for "heaven" (天), "peace" (安), and "gate" (门/門). This is why the name is usually translated as the "Gate of Heavenly Peace".

39°54′26.4″N 116°23′27.9″E / 39.907333°N 116.391083°E / 39.907333; 116.391083