None of us were super excited that China (and Beijing in particular) was on our itinerary. However, at the end of this tour if we do not return to Asia, we thought it important that kids who were born in HK (part of China now) should see some iconic sights – Forbidden City, Tianamen Square and the Great Wall.
It was a rainy morning as we set out for the Palace Museum (aka Forbidden City) and Tianamen Square, in the hopes the rain would reduce the crowds. To people born after 1989 in China the term Tianamen Square in not followed by the term ‘massacre’. Like to many things in communist China, that part has just been erased from history. Few countries today love a mass murderer like China still loves Mao.
When I was last here in 2003, we just walked casually into the square and wandered about – crowded but not overwhelming. Now it is a high security, massive crowd place. As we finally got thru all the security chicanes, the rain stopped and the crowds arrived….
As a sight, the square bordered by the Forbidden City, Great Hall of the People and other huge edifices, is a pretty cool spectacle.
Ps. The Starbucks is not there anymore…
