One of the first places China tourists want to see and be seen through their camera lenses is Tiananmen Square. The world-famous plaza, located in Beijing, the nation's capital city is the largest public square in the world. It’s named for the sacred Tiananmen, translated as Gate of Heavenly Peace. This structure stands at one end of the Square as guardian doorway to the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City dates back to the early 1400s, and through the centuries has served as palace, religious site, government quarters and residences of Chinese royal dynasties. When the Communist regime took over the city in 1949, a new kind of dynasty was created to be honored on the Square.