China - Beijing - Tiananmen Square

Friday, 19 April 2019

We had a 19-day trip to China and Tibet with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Odysseys Unlimited. We started with three days in Beijing. First stop: Tiananmen Square.

Tiananmen Square is large, austere, tightly-controlled paved plaza in the heart of Beijing. It is bordered by government buildings and old city gates, including the gate that is the entrance to the Forbidden City. The building in this photo is the "Great Hall of the People", where the national legislature meets. Other government buildings on the square are Mao's Tomb and the National Museum.

This Ming Dynasty gate, Tiananmen, is the entrance to the Forbidden City, and the place where Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China. Off to the sides of the gates are reviewing stands where dignitaries and VIPs can view military parades and other official spectacles.

The Chinese government is very sensitive about Tiananmen Square's past. There is tight airport-style security to enter the square, and much of the square is cordoned off. Light poles throughout the square (above) not only provide light and sound (via large loudspeakers), but also bristle with security cameras. China is noted for its use of facial-recognition to monitor its citizens.

The dour Tiananmen Square provides a huge contrast to Russia's open, vibrant Red Square, which is even better at night.