Tiannamen Square
Tianneman Square is the large square in Beijing, on the southern entrance to the Forbidden City. This is where Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and is the site of the Tianneman massacre in 1989. I have just read a book called Red China Blues, which gives an interesting first person perspective on the student uprising. It made me wonder if the people selling photos in the square are still undercover police. We were surprised that everyone has to go through a security check to enter the square.
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more 
