Today we decided to try venturing out on our own without the help of a guide. We knew that our hotel was fairly close to Tiananmen Square and agreed that it would be our first stop of the day. There were always taxis sitting outside of our hotel, and so with the help of some translation cards we had a driver take us to the square. We arrived at the square around 9:00 a.m.
It is considered to many as the heart of Beijing. It is the largest public city square in the world. The square is 440,000 sq. meters or about 109 acres. It can accommodate 600,000 people at one time. Trees line the east and west sides of the square. Tiananmen gate translated as, Gate of Heavenly Peace, is to the North of the square. It was originally the starting point of the Imperial City. The Great Hall of the People stands to the West of the square and Chairman Mao's mausoleum is to the South. On the east side of the square, is The National Museum of China which opened in 2003. Each morning at sunrise a flag raising ceremony is held. The square has quite a bit of historical significance to the people of China. On October 1,1949 Chairman Mao made the proclamation of The Peoples Republic of China in the square. It is also the site of the famous Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.
It is considered to many as the heart of Beijing. It is the largest public city square in the world. The square is 440,000 sq. meters or about 109 acres. It can accommodate 600,000 people at one time. Trees line the east and west sides of the square. Tiananmen gate translated as, Gate of Heavenly Peace, is to the North of the square. It was originally the starting point of the Imperial City. The Great Hall of the People stands to the West of the square and Chairman Mao's mausoleum is to the South. On the east side of the square, is The National Museum of China which opened in 2003. Each morning at sunrise a flag raising ceremony is held. The square has quite a bit of historical significance to the people of China. On October 1,1949 Chairman Mao made the proclamation of The Peoples Republic of China in the square. It is also the site of the famous Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.
We saw hundreds of people lined up for a chance to pay their respects to Chairman Mao. The year after Mao's death in 1976, a mausoleum was built near the site of the former Gate of China.
There were many decorations being put up around the square in honor of the upcoming Olympics. Beautiful floral arangements of every kind lined the edges of the square.We also got our first glimpse of the Fuwa 福娃 (the official mascots of the 2008 Olympics).
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