Tianamen Square

In blazing hot sun, the group and I set off for Tianamen Square, the historic square in central Beijing, kind of equivalent to the mall in Washington, DC. Not only has this been an important place for celebrations and commemorations, it was also the scene of the huge student demonstrations in 1989 and the brutal crackdown. No monuments to that today, only plenty of tourists and security. We had to go through an airport-style security line to reach the square.