China for a European tourist is primarily the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, the Great Wall of China, and the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin. If you ask the Celestial Empire's inhabitants, they'll tell you about quite different main attractions of the country. However, they all believe that the heart of the country is the largest square in the world – Tiananmen Square. On this area of over 400 square meters, the legendary leader of the great nation, Mao Zedong, announced the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

However, this significant event only once again underlined the historical importance of the square. This place has always played an important role in Chinese life. This is evidenced by the numerous historical and cultural monuments surrounding the square. There is the most luxurious palace of the Emperor's «Forbidden City». It is separated from the square by the Tiananmen gates, which means «Gate of Heavenly Peace» in Chinese. This is where the square's name comes from. There is also an impressive memorial complex – the world-famous Mao Zedong Tomb – and a monument to the folk hero with huge white marble bas-reliefs that rises almost 40 meters. Among other famous buildings surrounding the historic square, there is the Parliament House and the National Opera House with an area of more than 200,000 square meters, built of glass and titanium in a stunning futuristic style. It is probably the only modern building in the city center where the history of each stone goes back to the distant past of great dynasties and emperors.

Today, the central square of Tiananmen, which can accommodate more than one million people, is crowded daily with hundreds of patriotic Chinese citizens and no less curious tourists. Every morning at dawn, there is a traditional ceremony of raising the national flag of the country by the soldiers of the Chinese National Liberation Army, and in the evening at sunset, everyone gathers again to enjoy its descent.