Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was visiting Beijing the day we went to Tian'anmen Square. Hence all the Australian flags proudly flapping in the breeze. The title of this entry is one of the two inscriptions next to Mao's picture: "世界人民大团结万岁 Long live the great unity of the people of the world". Rather fitting I thought!
Tian'anmen square was modelled on the Red Square in Moscow, however Chinese architects managed to make it five times bigger than the Red Square. You can certainly fit many matching hat wearing tour groups into the square on a Tuesday afternoon.
For most Chinese people, if they only ever make one visit to Beijing in their life, Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City are the two places they will go and see. Tian'anmen Square symbolises the power and success of the Communist Party through its stark Stalinist architecture, completed in record time by hard working and committed patriots, and its massive scale. The Forbidden City represents China's glorious imperial history. Most of the younger generation do not know anything about other event's that occurred at Tian'anmen (literally 'The Gate of Heavenly Peace'). It's interesting that Westerner's have such different ideas associated with these places.
I wonder, if you could look inside someones imagination as they gazed awestruck at the vastness of this concrete square, what would a Chinese person be imagining and what would a Western person be imagining?
My advice – bring a hat. It's hot and there are no trees. Security risk, you know.
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