Our hotel was just round the corner from Tiananmen Square - so after arriving, rushing to the bank to get
some Chinese money before it shut, and checking in, we headed out to take a look. The square is enormous - about
2 km long and 1km wide, with large roads on each side and various buildings in the middle. But at the north end is
the famous entrance to the Forbidden City, lit up in the night sky.
Nothing quite prepares you for the sheer size of the painting of Chairman Mao above the entranceway into the
Forbidden City - note the man standing above the picture. This makes an excellent location for arranging to meet
people - all those of us travelling on various itineraries with the same company met up under this painting on our
last night together in Beijing, ready to head off for an excellent meal in a restaurant overlooking the other end
of the square.
As an avid fan of the film The Last Emperor, I couldn't wait to wander round the Forbidden City,
trying to imagine what it had been like a hundred years before, with eunuchs running every which way pandering
to the emperor's every need. It was a little difficult to imagine crammed full of tourists, and listening to
the audio guide narrated by Roger Moore - its rather bizarre being guided round by James Bond!
Its almost impossible to avoid the golden arches these days - even China has succumbed with a McDonalds
overlooking Tiananmen Square. We were watching a karaoke contest on the platform in front of the restaurant,
and polishing off a quick pint of beer bought on the street, when a fight started and the crowd dispersed very
quickly - so did we, back to the bar in our hotel, where we showed the local businessmen just how karaoke singing
should be done!
A last look back at the city leaving from Beijing Xi (West) Station. Whilst on the subject of compass
points, Bei means North, hence Beijing means Northern Capital. Nanjing similarly means Southern Capital.
