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19491 October 1949 · Tiananmen, Beijing

Proclamation of the People's Republic of China

The Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing, from whose rostrum the People's Republic was proclaimed in 1949
Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

After defeating the Nationalists in the civil war, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic from the rostrum of Tiananmen Gate. The Nationalist government withdrew to Taiwan. The new state remade the lives of a fifth of humanity through land reform, collectivisation and later mass campaigns. Mao's portrait still hangs on the gate and his body lies in a mausoleum on the square.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Tiananmen Gate rostrumGate balcony where Mao made the proclamation, open to visitors.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Mausoleum of Mao ZedongMao's embalmed body on public view.Map ↗

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