Beijing: Tian'an Men Square

We took a long weekend (Friday-Tuesday) to visit Beijing, a colossal metropolis of at least 18 million people -- and still growing at an incredible pace. Beijing (the name means "northern capital") became the seat of the Yuan dynasty in the late 13th century. Beijing epitomizes the contradictions of 21st-century China: ancient history and booming development, stunning wealth and heartbreaking poverty. One cannot begin to explore it in four short days or describe it in a brief blog entry. Susie found us a great place to stay only a few hundred yards from Tian'an Men Square. We hope to use it on future expeditions as well.

Tian'an Men (Heavenly Peace Gate) is the enormous public square at the heart of Beijing, bordering the Forbidden City on the south. It has been the site of historic events ranging from the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, to the huge rallies of the Cultural Revolution, to the notorious massacre of peaceful protesters in 1989. (The latter event, known as the "June Fourth Incident," is rarely if ever mentioned in the PRC.)

The square covers about 100 acres and can hold more than one million people. It is often said to be the largest public square in the world, but the new Xinghai Square in (of all places) Dalian is larger by more than 10,000 square meters (2.5 acres). As you can imagine, this is a source of great local pride. Here are a few pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/TianAnmen#