Discover Qianmen Gate
At the southern end of the square stands the Front Gate, also called Qianmen in Chinese. It is one of the few remaining gates of the city wall. It was built in 1420 in the early Ming Dynasty and renovated in 1977.

In the old days the wall was guarded by watch towers placed at regular in repulsing enemy attacks. If the first gate was breached, the enemy would still find themselves outside the city wall and would be fired upon from the tower over the innergate.

Beijing Tour Routes covers Tiananmen Square:

Photo of Tiananmen Square