Tiananmen Square in 1900
The third largest city square in the world, Tiananmen Square has great cultural significance as the site of seminal events in China’s history. The 109-acre expanse is named after Tiananmen Gate, or the Gate of Heavenly Peace, that separates it from the Imperial Forbidden City to the north. Tiananmen Square was originally designed and built in 1651, but has been enlarged four times since; its current size dates from the 1950s when Chairman Mao Zedong started renovations with the aim of making the space capable of accommodating half-a-million people.
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