Beijing

Left for China via Tokyo on June 21, 2009. Got to the hotel late--went to bed around 1am China time.

The next day I got up early and headed straight for Tiananmen Square. This is my first glimpse.

I found it interesting everyone had to pass through a security check (metal detector and pat-down) to get into the Square. Besides Mao's body and a couple of monuments, it's just concrete, but obviously since '89 the government is taking no chances. An American I met in Beijing told me that he saw a guy tackled by several policemen the same day I took these pictures. The American thought he saw something like a flag in the guy's hands, but wasn't sure.

This is the gate at the southern end (click for a larger view):

Below is Chairman Mao Memorial Hall where "tens of thousands of visitors from China and abroad have visited...everyday to reverentially pay their respects to and cherish the memory of Chairman Mao. The Memorial Hall is a focus for education in patriotism and the revolutionary tradition, and it is a place that the people of all China's ethnic groups wish to visit." (from a pamphlet I paid 1 yuan for while waiting in line) Well, maybe the Uighurs will pass for a while.

The line of people three deep wrapped around the building, but I got in line anyway. The people in line with me were young and old, male and female, and yes, I did see a group of women dressed in traditional ethnic dress. There were only a handful of Westerners. No backpacks or bags were allowed inside, and no one was allowed to wear sandals or slippers. Entry was free, and a valid I.D. was required. It only took an hour to reach the entrance and, after passing through another metal detector, I was inside. Right at the entrance yellow carnations were being sold for 3 yuan. Many people were buying them and then putting them under a portrait of Mao. Around the corner encased in glass was Mao himself, and he looked, well, dead. With lots of makeup on. And a bit shrivelled up. There were guards flanking Mao who were literally shoving people past Mao to keep the line flowing, so I only got a brief look before I found myself in a souvenir shop* and then back outside.

*A common theme in China. All roads in China seem to lead to a souvenir shop selling jade braclets.