I had never heard of Tiananmen Square until the student protests for democracy in 1989 and that breathtaking moment when one student, in an act of defiance, stood in front of several tanks that were sent in to squash the protest. Ironically, this gate with Mao's portrait is called the "Gate of Heavenly Peace."
The square is huge, designed to fit up to one million people and can be compared to Washington DC's National Mall, except think stone and cement instead of grass and trees. This has been the only spot in Beijing that I felt I was in a communist country. The large red flags, the military presence, and the large portrait of Chairman Mao who watches everyone in the square.
Chairman Mao's body is on display in this mausoleum on the opposite end of the square, but unfortunately it was closed due to renovations for the 2008 Olympic games. They want to make sure "Dear Leader" is perfect when the world comes to visit next year.
The square also houses the "Great Hall of the People," which is the venue of the legislature, the National People's Congress, where US President Richard Nixon dined in 1972. There are also several mouments and memorials to the "people" of China, those who died in the Cultural Revolution and those who worked to build China. There is also a large museum on the square devoted to the Revolution, but the entire building has been gutted to modernize the exhibits for 2008.
Most impressive to me, is the "Front Gate," which dates back to the Ming dynasty and was the largest of the nine gates of the inner city wall. Partially destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, the gate was once flanked by two temples that have since vanished.
I had never heard of Tiananmen Square until the student protests for democracy in 1989 and that breathtaking moment when one student, in an act of defiance, stood in front of several tanks that were sent in to squash the protest. Ironically, this gate with Mao's portrait is called the "Gate of Heavenly Peace." 
The square is huge, designed to fit up to one million people and can be compared to Washington DC's National Mall, except think stone and cement instead of grass and trees. This has been the only spot in Beijing that I felt I was in a communist country. The large red flags, the military presence, and the large portrait of Chairman Mao who watches everyone in the square. 
Chairman Mao's body is on display in this mausoleum on the opposite end of the square, but unfortunately it was closed due to renovations for the 2008 Olympic games. They want to make sure "Dear Leader" is perfect when the world comes to visit next year. 
The square also houses the "Great Hall of the People," which is the venue of the legislature, the National People's Congress, where US President Richard Nixon dined in 1972. There are also several mouments and memorials to the "people" of China, those who died in the Cultural Revolution and those who worked to build China. There is also a large museum on the square devoted to the Revolution, but the entire building has been gutted to modernize the exhibits for 2008. 
Most impressive to me, is the "Front Gate," which dates back to the Ming dynasty and was the largest of the nine gates of the inner city wall. Partially destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, the gate was once flanked by two temples that have since vanished.
