China! Day 5 part a

Beijing! The capital city of China. Bustling with a massive crush of humanity. The guides said it was a slow day for tourism at the Mao Zedong mausoleum and Tiananmen Square, only about 2-3 hundred thousand people. For the most part was quite orderly. In the photo above you see rectangle square grates. These are public toilets for when there is a big "who ha" happening. They just put up temporary tents and open the grates. When 2 million people are in the area, there needs to be a place to "go". 😜. Tiananmen Square is so huge, that if you lined up people shoulder to shoulder, it literally could hold 2 million people. The structure with Chairman Mao's photo is the Gate of Heavenly peace. Built in the 15th century and restored in the 17th century. On October 1, 1949 Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the new China People's Republic on this spot. The gate leads to an imperial city, the forbidden city. Tomorrow we will explore this area. Tiananmen Square contains the monuments to the heroes of the revolution, the Great Hall of People, the National Museum of China, and the Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall where his embalmed body lies. Many of us remember this Square from the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Student Democracy Movement staged protests resulting in thousands of lives lost and injuries. Truly and interesting area to witness.