Tian An Men Square

Took a few days out of my trip home to visit the nation’s capital. I am staying at the Far East hostel, because it is close to Tian An Men and is supposedly the best in the city. It is five times the cost of Mix in my hometown. North Americans are fascinated with history, since we don't have much, and my Dujiangyan visit was the only real history I'd seen in China so far though I've been living here for six months. Beijing oozes history, both ancient and modern though it is hard to know how much of it is really old. Tian An Men was completely rebuilt in the 70s even though the original was over 500 years old.

Mao overlooking Tian An Men Square:



Mao's Tomb, like much of the Forbidden City, is under renos and is closed til later this fall. Outside are statues celebrating the revolution.



The most interesting thing about Tian An Men Square are the people. In the morning, it is full of mostly Chinese tour groups and people taking pictures with the monuments. They are wearing identical hats or scarves and are following flags. In the evening, people come with their families to relax. There are dozens of kites flying and the monuments are illuminated. There are lots of foreigners here too, almost as many as in Hong Kong. I saw a family with the father wearing the skullcap, the mother wearing hijab, and the little daughter wearing lighted devil horns.