JUNE 11, 2012
DAY SIX

First stop on our sightseeing tour of Beijing is Tiananmen Square. It is the large city square in the center of Beijing named after the Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its north separating it from the Forbidden City to its south.

The Tiananmen Gate ~ The Gate Of Heavenly Peace

There are lots of soldiers in the area, in uniforms like these and who knows how many in plain clothes? We saw lines of young men in soldier formation like those above, but they were wearing clothes like the rest of us. After marching into the square, I suppose they disperse and blend in among the rest of the tourists.

And who knows who else is watching…

Government buildings on the east side of the square.

Watching a large screen in the square.