Day three in China took us to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world, able to accommodate 1,000,000 people at one time.
Tiananmen Gate at night
A soldier guarding the entrance to Tiananmen Square
The National Museum of China
Each of these squares "holds" two people
But I'm guessing most of them are bigger than these two.
Monument to the People's Heroes
The monument was built in 1952 to honor the martyrs who devoted their lives to China, and is at the center of the square. It is the largest monument in China's history. 'The People's Heroes are Immortal' written by Chairman Mao, is engraved on the monument which also has eight large relief sculptures showing the people the development of Chinese modern history.
In front of Tiananmen Gate
At the north end of the Square is Tiananmen Gate. It was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty. The Square was the front door of the Forbidden City, and was used most importantly, to declare to the common people who became the emperor and the empress. No one, except for the royal family and aristocrats, could enter the Tower until 1911 when the last feudal kingdom was over.
We didn't have much time to go into the different buildings, but there are several museums around the square, including Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, where the remains of Chairman Mao (the first Chairman of the People's Republic of China) are displayed in a crystal coffin.
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