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Tian'anmen Gate Tower Closed for Maintenance

The Tian'anmen Gate tower, venue of the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China in 1949, has closed for regular maintenance which is due for completion at the end of April. Mei Ninghua, head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage, said the renovation project has been thoroughly studied and planned by experts, and will include the repair of floor tiles and the maintenance of the tower's power supply, telecommunications and lighting facilities.

Given that the 34.7-meter-high structure was built in 1417 and rebuilt after two accidental fires in 1651, the renovation will be strictly in line with the country's regulations on the protection of cultural relics, Mei said. Since the founding of new China, three major renovations have been carried out, in 1952, 1970 and 1999.

The brick and wooden tower was listed by the State Council as a major cultural heritage site under state protection in 1961, and opened to foreign and domestic tourists in 1988. Some 2.4 million people visit the tower each year.