saunders 180: Beijing - Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and More

I was going through our photos of Day 3 in Beijing and was surprised at how much we were able to pack in the day. It didn’t seem like that much at the time – probably because we were in good company and all the kids were troopers. How lucky were we?!

First up was Tiananmen Square. It seemed far less crowded than when we were there in 2005 –hard to say if it really was or not. I was again struck at how odd it seemed to be standing in the very place that a massacre occurred in 1989…and that how tourists now mill about the site, smiling and taking photos (us included).

We walked on the Forbidden City across the street. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

The Forbidden City was opened to the public in 1950 and is a massive complex – it’s the world’s largest palace complex with more than 74 hectares. Last time we were there, it was a gazillion degrees outside and we were in the midst of terrible jet-lag. I remember wondering if the buildings would EVER come to an end. This time it didn't seem as overwhelming. Here's an aerial shot of the complex (taken from a stock photo site on the internet) to show you just how big it is:

However, one thing that STILL boggles my mind is that Chairman Mao continues to be revered – despite setting the country back (in my view) with the Cultural Revolution. The huge painting of him is front and center at the entrance of the Forbidden City.

This time, the tour of the city was more pleasant – not just because I’d actually slept in recent history, but because Vivie (the guide) took us on a route that was away from the main tourist area. We not only avoided the crowds, but we got to see some guards practicing their marching - we were careful to not be too obvious in photographing them.