Tiananmen Square

One of the first places we visited in Beijing was Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world (it can hold more than one million people). Of course, it is infamous for the 1989 protests against the Communist Party which led to the massacre of about 800 young people. It was surreal to be there, with Mao's content face staring at the masses, and plenty of Communist monuments and tributes peppering the square. It was raining that morning, so we didn't get to see a lot of the kite flying and other activities that apparently take place during the early morning hours.

Tiananmen Square is also home to the enbalmed body of Mao Zedong, who is on display in an eponymous mausoleum. Here, hundreds of people lined up to pay their respects to Mao, and here is where I was rendered speechless by the man in front of me who was largely missing the soles of his shoes. I watched him purchase a rose from a vendor, solemnly trod into the building, place the rose by a statue of Mao and pay his respects to the body. Sneakers and shoes in China can be bought for less than $5 in Beijing, but this man was willing to spend money on a rose for the man who was largely responsible for this poverty. It was mind-boggling, and reminded me again that I need to reread Orwell's 1984. Most people seem to still respect Mao, but even the government has acknowledged that he was 70% correct and 30% incorrect, the 30% unfavorable perception apparently stemming from his destruction of ancient Chinese temples, treasures and artifacts.

Here is the line of people waiting to see Mao's Mausoleum. Folks need to check all their luggage and cameras across the street before entering the mausoleum. Once there, you can only get a quick glimpse of Mao before being shuttled off by the soldiers who guard the place. Mao looks pretty much like the photos, except shorter and well, more dead.

Soldiers guarding one of the monuments in Tiananmen Square