The Tian'anmen Gate sits on Beijing Central Axis, south of the Upright Gate and north of the Outer Jinshui Bridges, facing Tian'anmen Square. Its terrace is connected to the walls of the imperial city of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The gate tower is the main structure of the gate. There is another pair of huabiao, joined by two pairs of stone lions, on the south side, all standing and sitting west-east of Beijing Central Axis symmetrically.

Facing south from the north end of Tian'anmen Square, the Tian'anmen Gate consists of a terrace and a gate tower. There are five symmetrically arranged arched gateways through the terrace, with the middle gate larger than the others flanking it, each decreasing in size. Sitting on a white-marble sumeru pedestal encircled by a white-marble balustrade, the gate tower is 9 bays wide and 5 bays deep, with a double-eave gable-and-hip roof of yellow glazed tiles. The numbers nine and five carry symbolic importance, as they follow the traditional Chinese "nine-five system".

The Tian'anmen Gate was the main portal of the imperial city of the Ming and Qing dynasties, forbidding public admission. It also functioned as a venue for ceremonial activities, such as the issuance of the "gold-phoenix edict” and the "announcement of successful imperial examinees." The founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China was held here on October 1st,1949, proclaiming the birth of the PRC. The Tian'anmen Gate remains as a venue for major national celebrations.