China Day Two: Beijing

Our second day in China, we visited Tienanmen Square, the largest city square in the world.  The square has the original city gates on it's ends.

In the middle of the square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes. 

After the monument stand the Gate of China with Chairman Mao's portrait.  It's said that wherever you stand to view this portrait, it appears as though Chairman Mao is looking directly at you.  Behind this gate lies the Forbidden City.

There's many Chinese people visiting from the small towns from China.  Most of them have never seen a person with different skin/hair/eyes than them... except in the movies.  This meant our tour group was full of instant celebrities.  All of us were asked for a photo at some point during the trip but Evan and Gloria drew the largest crowds.

The beginnings of the Forbidden City.

Lion's were symbols of Imperial Power.  The male lion stands with his paw on the globe, symbolizing his control over the universe.

The female lion stands with her foot on a lion cub symbolizing the eternal lineage of the imperial line.

Most of our tour group. From left to right: Evan, Gloria, Myriam, Jack, Chris, Tara, Chris, Kate, Adrienne and Gillian.

Leaving the Forbidden City.

Of all things, we found out our friend from Columbia Business School, Tien, was also in Beijing.  It was nice to see someone from home, so far away from home. We got together and had a beer.

That night we took a 12-hr. sleeper train from Beijing to our next destination, Xi'an.  The conditions were sparse.  There were six beds to a compartment (as you can see in the picture below). It was hot, there was the smell of cigarettes in the air, and the train was long.  Although efficient, it's definitely not a recommended way to travel.