Today (Wednesday), the 13 of us journeyed to the famous Tiananmen Square (for the 2nd time), which lies in the center of Beijing along with the Forbidden City. In the center of the square lies Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (Mao’s Mausoleum). It is gigantic and heavily guarded. Below is a photo of the statue that marks the gate to the Hall:
After waiting in line for several minutes with hundreds of others coming to pay their respects, I was granted entrance. The entrance chamber had a huge statue of Mao, reminiscent of the Lincoln Memorial, covered in flowers placed there by those come to pay their respects. From there, in dead silence, we filed into the room where Mao Zedong’s body lies in rest. His body has been preserved for 30 years and they raise it every day for public viewing. The room with his body then feeds into a store with all the Mao merchandise you could EVER imagine (watches, cuff links, lighters, pens, jewelry, posters, etc.). The whole experience was ridiculous.
Tiananmen Square itself is astounding. It is HUGE. It is the largest square in the world (built to hold one million people). The square is bordered on the East side by the Great Hall of the People (home of the National People’s Congress), on the West side by the National Museum of China and on the North Side by Tiananmen or the Gate of Heavenly Peace (the entrance to the Forbidden City). It essentially is the seat of China. I am pictured with the Gate.
On Tuesday, I went to Tiananmen Square for the first time with Leyton and Stephanie. I felt like a celebrity. We were the only “foreigners” to be found in the Square. Most of the people in the Square were Chinese citizens visiting from other provinces who were unaccustomed to seeing “white people.” The three of us were stopped 4 or 5 times so that we could pose for a photo. One family of 8 had us pose for a picture with them. Most people, however, did not ask us for a photo. They just snapped one with their cameras or cell phone cameras as we walked by. I have my own paparazzi!?!
This afternoon, after Tiananmen Square we were all taken around several of the major shopping districts in Beijing. I am standing in the oldest market street in Beijing!
We also visited the artist district, known as Liuli Chang, and the Silk Road Market. The Silk Road Market is impossible to describe. It is 6 floors of every product you could imagine. It has aisle after aisle of knock off purses, shoes, scarves, clothes, etc. Everything is sold through bargaining. There are no set prices. It is incredibly overwhelming. Every shopkeeper called me to their booth with “pretty lady” or “blue eyes.” Some would grab me and walk me to their booth. Their other technique was to ask me which of the 2 boys (Leyton and Matt) adventuring with me was my boyfriend. Despite my claim that neither of them was my boyfriend, they would proceed to tell Leyton or Matt why they should buy me something. It was entertaining. I will definitely be returning to the Market to stalk up on gifts to bring home!
Side Note: Communication from China is really easy besides the ridiculous time difference! Skype, AIM, facebook, and email have eased the adjustment. It is definitely weird being so far from everything you know and love. Leyton (my twin) and I marvel at modern communications! ( We're pictured with one of the phone booths found all over Beijing.)
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