August 14, 2007
Flying kites is a popular pastime among adults and children in Tiananmen Square.
It’s an exhilarating experience to walk across the gigantic Tiananmen Square in central Beijing. Constructed in 1958 and designed to hold a million people, it’s the world’s largest inner-city square. It was built to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Republic.
At one end of the square is the Gate of Heavenly Peace and the other end is the impressive Forbidden City. The National Museum of China and The Great Hall of the People are the large buildings along the sides of the square. In the middle of the square is the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.
After walking the length of the square, we entered The Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City is a palace complex constructed in 1420. It is the largest ancient palace in the world. It was the home of 24 emperors for 492 years – from 1420 to 1912. There are 980 buildings with over 8,700 rooms.
This year, many buildings were being renovated and refreshed in preparation for the Olympics next year. There were beautiful bright painted details on many exteriors.
The Forbidden City is considered a “masterpiece of Chinese architecture.” The name refers to the north star which, in traditional Chinese astrology, was the eternal home of the emperor. Gold roofs were reserved for the emperor and the “roof charms” represent the status of the imperial building.
There were many unusual things to see on the streets of Beijing:
I visited the Hutongs again with my colleagues. We had such fun riding on the pedicabs.
A local historian joined us on our tour of the traditional neighborhood. She said she learned English from watching American television.
We visited the Bell and Drum Towers which face each other across a courtyard. They were originally built in 1272 and first used as musical instruments. Later they were a means for telling time: “a morning bell and a dusk drum.”
The photo below is a view of the Drum Tower from the top of the Bell Tower. We climbed up long steep steps to reach the top. Telling time played an important role in helping people live and work regularly when there was no other means to keep track of time.
The ancient bell is 23 feet high, weighs 63 tons and is made of copper.
During the Han Dynasty, bell and drum towers were built in almost every city in China.
Inner courtyard building of a Hutong:
Our time in Beijing passed too quickly. It’s a fabulous city to visit: huge, large scale, many people, a lot to see and do. It takes a long time to get anywhere because of heavy traffic, but worth the ride! The photo below is the waiting room at the national airport. We were on our way to Xi’an.
