Return to China -- Part 3, Tiananmen Square

We exited the Forbidden City through the Tiananmen Gate and crossed over to Tiananmen Square just across the street.

The large pillar directly before us is the Monument to the People's Heroes, constructed back in the 1950s to commemorate the communist takeover of China. The writing on it literally says "The People's Heroes Ever Upright Not Decayed". The structure behind it is the mausoleum of Mao Zedong, leader of the revolution and the greatest mass murderer in the history of mankind.

The "Heroic People" themselves, portrayed in the act of rising up under the leadership of Mao to smash their "feudal" oppressors and to usher in a socialist paradise on Earth.

This building, stretching along the Western edge of the square is the Great Hall of the People where the Chinese parliament meets.

Directly opposite, along the Eastern edge of the square lies the National Museum of China. I would have liked to have seen it, but there was no time to do so.

We made our way southward along the Eastern edge of the square and encountered this structure -- the Zhengyangmen Gate, which once was part of the now destroyed city wall. It's a lovely building that formerly served as a military barracks and an archery tower protecting the entrance to the old city.

We waited for our bus to pick us up on the corner opposite this lovely old building, an example of the British imperial presence a century ago. It once was the main railway station. Today it is a railway museum and shopping arcade.

Then it was onto the bus for a short trip to see these guys. In Beijing you must try the Peking Duck and this place serves some of the best. It was yummy -- one of the best meals we had during our trip.