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Mao proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949 from this massive Ming-dynasty gate, where his huge portrait still hangs. The way to the Forbidden City is through here.

This brutal 1959 building on the eastern side of the square combines the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Revolution. Exhibits include stunning Chinese artistic masterpieces, as well as less impressive pieces of propaganda.

In an imposing hall at the center of the square lies the embalmed body of Mao, who died in 1976. Encased in a crystal casket and draped in a red flag, he is raised from his refrigerated chamber for twice-daily public viewings.

A monolithic structure dominating the western side of the square, the Great Hall is the seat of the Chinese legislature. The vast auditorium and banqueting halls are open for part of every day except when the People’s Congress is in session.

Erected in 1958, the granite monument is decorated with bas-reliefs of episodes from the nation’s revolutionary history and calligraphy from Communist veterans Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.

The “Front Gate”, also known as Zhengyang Men (“Sun-facing Gate”), was constructed during the Ming dynasty and was the largest of the nine gates of the inner city wall. It now houses a city history museum.

With the Qian Men, the Arrow Gate formed part of a great double gate. The walls that once flanked the gate were demolished in the 20th century.

At the northern end of the square is a towering pole, from which flies the Chinese flag; a troop of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers raises the flag each day at dawn and lowers it again at sunset.

The stripy building on the square’s southeast corner is a British-built railway station. It now houses shops, an internet café, a branch of McDonald’s, and a theater where performances of Beijing Opera take place.

Although car owner-ship in Beijing continues to rise dramatically, for the moment at least the bicycle remains the quintessentially Chinese way of getting around. Cyclists still crowd the wide avenues that ring Tian’an Men Square.