Tianamen Square

The first stop on our self-guided tour of Beijing was Tienanmen Square. Most people are most familiar with Tienanmen because of the 1989 student protest that ended very violently. Though daily activity in the square is quite upbeat and enjoyable, it has actually been the site of multiple protests and political violence in the past hundred years or so.

Today, however, the atmosphere was one of enjoyment. People strolled with their families and lovers walked hand in hand. Children ran with strings of small kites trailing them or waving small plastic Chinese flags. Soldiers did march around the square to help "maintain peace" but overall, it was hard to imagine this being a place of violence.


We first spotted the square from the beautiful towers of the city gate. There was one on each side of a main street.

The tower on the side of the street opposite the square.

the tower on the edge of the square

Standing near the second tower pictured above, we had a great view of the museum (and mausoleum) of Chairman Mao. Unfortunately, it was closed for repair and we were not able to see his preserved body on display. Too bad, we were looking forward to that! :)

Natalie between flagpoles at Tienanmen with the museum in the background

statue and guard in front of Mao's museum

My favorite part of the square was the kite flying. Children and adults alike flew beautiful kites that range from less than a square foot to about nine or more square feet. The sky was dotted with kites. Here are a couple people enjoying kite flying:

a child runs with a string of kites trailing her

two kite sellers peddle their wears (and have a little fun while they're at it) 3-2-1 LIFTOFF!