Tiananmen Square Beijing China

The Chinese national holiday stretches from Oct 1-4th.  This means all business comes to a standstill, employees that need to work must be paid triple, and just think nearly 1.3 billion people have nothing to do.  Yup, exactly…. so time for me to get far away from the Expo!  I booked a flight to Beijing for 4 days and did all I could to avoid the masses.

Beijing,  culinary pilgrimage for all chefs, the pinnacle of their dining scene is the famous Peking Duck.  Needless to say there was no question I had to pay homage!

Tian’anmen Square- is a largest  city square in the world(440,000 m² – 880m by 500m) , located in the centre of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace). ). It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. The square was the center of the 4 June 1989 protests, where soldiers opened fire on protesters, killing 400–800, and perhaps many more. the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong on October 1, 1949.  The perfect time for me to  see Beijing for the anniversary date of the proclamation of the Chinese government.

The square was jam-packed with security, police, military, and pushy people.  I wanted to grab a few photos of these uniformed officers, ranging in the age of 18-25 rs. old (at best), but that could quickly get me a first class ticket to the Chinese jail.  I am not exactly sure how or why the Chinese people carry such a fear for them, since they do not carry firearms and weigh a max total of about 125 lbs. soaking wet!  Granted the  brainwashing endured from the central government surely turns them into secret Kung-Fu fighters!

Rather a disappointing place to visit, essentially a large concrete slab surrounded by historical buildings.  That is really about it for  the square.  I took a little time to stop and think about all the history that had occurred under the soles of my shoes, then moved on.  Time was tight and had a lot to see and do in one day!

Forbidden City, Temple Gardens, Peking Duck!