Tiananmen Square in the Early Republic of China

It is generally believed that Kuai Xiang designed and built Tiananmen Square, which is famous at home and abroad. In fact, Kuai Xiang did not design and build Tiananmen Square, but the predecessor of Tiananmen Square, Chengtian Gate.

In 1417 AD (the 15th year of Ming Yongle), Emperor Chengzu of Ming Zhu Di prepared to move the capital to Beijing, and sent Kuixiang and other famous craftsmen to take charge of the design and construction of the palace complex. Kuixiang carefully designed the main entrance of the imperial city, which was completed in 1420. It was called "Chengtianmen" at that time. It was a five-storey wooden archway with yellow tile cornices. It was the old name of the main entrance of the imperial city in the Tang Dynasty, which meant that the emperor "set sail through the sky" and "was ordered by the sky". In the first year of Tianshun Emperor of Ming Yingzong (1457), Chengtianmen was destroyed by fire, and in the first year of Xianzong Chenghua (1465), it was rebuilt by Bai Gui, the minister of industry. This time it was no longer the archway, but the 9-bay gatehouse. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, In the eighth year of the Shunzhi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, in 1651, the patriarch Fulin rebuilt the city tower. After the reconstruction, on October 31, the Chengtian Gate was renamed Tiananmen Gate, which basically became the style it is today. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, this was a forbidden area. It was just the gate of the imperial palace, surrounded by red walls and gloomy courtyards. At that time, Tiananmen was facing the Daming Gate (renamed the Great Qing Gate in the Qing Dynasty, and later renamed the Zhonghua Gate, which was demolished after liberation). In the middle was the Imperial Road, and on both sides were the Thousand Pedestrians. From the construction of Chengtian Gate until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the common people were not allowed to pass through except for the royal family and the nobles. Daming Gate is closed all year round except for grand ceremonies. The feudal emperors had specific days to enter and exit Tiananmen. The winter solstice came to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices to the sky, the summer solstice came to the northern suburbs to offer sacrifices, Meng Chun prayed for the valley, and the fields were plowed in mid-spring. The emperor went on an expedition to offer sacrifices in front of Tiananmen.

The main ridge and vertical ridge of the Tiananmen Gate tower have some "overwhelming" decorations. This ancient alchemist's witchcraft has added a magical color to the tower. This decoration is called the kissing beast, and there are 10 on the roof of Tiananmen Gate. Legend has it that "nine ridges seal ten dragons", indicating that there are 10 dragons to guard the palace every day. At both ends of the main ridge are dragon-shaped kisses, with fan-shaped sword handles inserted on the back. It is said that to prevent it from escaping, there is an immortal and nine beasts on the vertical ridge: dragon, phoenix, lion, unicorn, Tianma, seahorse, fish, and so on. Ancient literati said that these kissing beasts are "leaping dragon and tile", which is quite interesting. Legend has it that there are fish in the South China Sea, with a tail like a bird, but the waves can turn into rain. Installing this bird-tailed kissing beast on the roof can avoid fires.

Tiananmen Square is a majestic tower towering in the middle of a vermil-colored palace wall. The Sumizuo is made of white jade. There is a large brick platform more than 10 meters high. On the brick platform, there is a hall with double eaves. The octagonal eaves are divided into two floors, with a total height of 33.7 meters. The tower is 9 rooms wide from east to west and five rooms deep from north to south. The number in the Ninth Five-Year Plan implies the dignity of the emperor. There are 36 windows and doors facing south. The composition is simple and neat, and the pattern is graceful. The lower part of the window door is a wooden skirt board. There are low walls around the main hall, and white jade railings in the walls surround the tower. Under the clear sky, the yellow glazed tiles on the tower shine brightly and look very dignified.

In August 1952, Tiananmen Square underwent a large-scale expansion of equipment and repair of the tower. It was repainted. It looked completely new and was equipped with modern equipment such as elevators and heating. This was a complete renovation in more than 260 years since the twenty-seventh year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1688). Since then, the Tiananmen Gate Tower has to be painted and renovated almost before the two important festivals of May 1 and October 1 every year, so that it will always remain radiant and spend the happy festival with the people.