[你好!北京] Hello Beijing - Tiananmen Square

Hello Beijing - Tiananmen Square

Hello Beijing – Tiananmen Square  

After a night of jetlag, I was feeling a little rough in the morning. There was no time to waste, we set out to visit a couple local sites and ease into ‘tourist mode’. We decided to visit Tianamen Square which was only a short distance from the hotel.
 

A side note – Depending on which hotel you stay in, some of the more budget style accommodations retain a smoky air (even if you have requested non-smoking quarters). However I must say the services and pricing in China are great value for money. I haven’t really been disappointed with any of the hotels I stayed in (there were quite a few), tripadvisor and local recommendations saw me through just fine.
 

Beijing mornings are busy! People commuting to work, tourists making their voyages and everyone in between create the encompassing wave that is rush hour. I really enjoyed seeing groups of cyclists commute. The bike rental services that have emerged in China are brilliant! There are a number of vendors who have managed to establish public bike schemes. I can see that parts of the country are moving to smarter ways of travel.
 

A Little History



I am by no means a historian or a scholar of Chinese history but I made sure to do a little reading before visiting. Tianamen Square is in the centre of Beijing, located near other sights of interest including the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park. The square itself is connected to various museums, monuments and the mausoleum of Mao Zedong. Unfortunately on this occasion the mausoleum was closed for refurbishment. I was really looking forward to see the inside, but this was not meant to be. :(
 

Tiananmen Square has had a number of historic events take place on its grounds. Most notably it was where Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People’s Republic (PRC). There have been other sensitive events to take place here and you can find lots of information published on the web.

To the Square

We arrived a little late and the queues had already built up. We were quickly directed to take an underpass route if we just wanted access to the square.

Underpass route – Much less clustered and a welcome site. Let’s see if we can get into the square quickly from here.



A few minutes later and we can see the entry gates but the queue was even bigger here. Too late to turn back we decided to queue and wait entry. I somehow envied the children playing in the middle of the fenced off enclosures that were meant to separate visitor queues. Many local tourists were waiting to get inside.

Despite periods of congestion, the wait wasn’t as long as I had thought. It was fun to engage with the crowd around us, we may not speak the same language but we understand... SELFIES! :)

I noticed quite a few local tourists around Beijing during my time there. It felt rare to meet a foreigner there and though things can seem a little disorderly, we were often approached for photos and greeted kindly by people.
 

 

We finally made it to the square, the space felt very open and people were scattered across the site.  



Sherlock in Beijing
 

While we walked around the square we met a police officer who gave us some directions and revealed his story. Initially stiff faced with authority, we got to know Officer Tommy’s story. He asked us where we travelled from, how we were finding China and began telling how he was inspired by Sherlock Holmes. He had never left China but had read the stories of the detective and that’s what he aspired to be.
 

Though a small occurrence, these encounters remind me that everyone has a story and a path they follow. Good luck with your dreams Tommy - I hope you reach Interpol and visit 221B Bakerstreet when you have time.
 

A Time to Remember


 

National Museum of China, a place of history and arts. We didn’t visit this time round but I will make a point to go next time if I have the chance.
 

 

Monument to the People’s Heroes, a majestic obelisk which remembers those who struggled during the revolution. There are various inscriptions, even hand written by Mao Zedong. There are various memoirs recorded here relating to major revolutionary movements. I also found that construction of this monument lasted around 6 years, a true product of Architecture and Civil Engineering.  
 

 

We had plenty on the Agenda today so it was time to leave. A quick glance back at the site across the road.

It was time to make our way to the gardens where we could eventually reach the Forbidden City.  
 

 

Along the way we stopped a tourist art shop. Though it was clear the people wanted to sell their art to us, but they were genuine in giving us some advice about going around the Forbidden City.
 

Forbidden History
 

We were finally here, The Forbidden City. Walking through this corridor gives you a sense of anticipation. But for now this is all I will be covering, I feel the Forbidden City deserves its own space. China is a very cultured place and Beijing especially had its historic personality that I felt. For anyone curious about visiting I highly recommend this journey.
 

I hope you guys enjoyed this piece and look forward to my next post which will be filled with pretty photos! There was a lot to see.