Japan Adventure

Although we did not walk over there, this monument is called Monument to the People's Heroes & stands 125 ft high. It is dedicated to "all those who struggled for the glorious revolution" & carries a warning that anyone trying to start another one will be sternly punished. In the past, there have been riots & strikes here, so this area is now closed to the public & kept under guard & it is forbidden to lay wreaths or perform any other commenmorative gestures.

We were trying to behave, so we would not be carted away in this police van. It's difficult to explain, but you just feel "different" in a country where people are not free to think & talk as we are so accustomed to doing.
















One of our Chinese guides Gillian, answers questions about Tiananmen Square . . . it's just so huge and bare! She told us 2 million people could gather here! (and have!) And of course, most of us remember the pictures . . . but "everything is fine now & everyone is happy & there is no crime" (according to our Chinese guides.) Of course, we were warned to watch our purses & wallets, and make sure to count our change if we bought something, and not to wander off alone, but there is no crime in Beijing. The worst thing here was the constant barrage from the pushy street vendors who would not take NO for answer. We were told to tell them, "Be-yow!" which means, "leave me alone - I don't want anything!" But we soon found out it worked better to tell them, "We're from Japan." I don't think Japanese or Americans are very popular in China!

We stood for a long time just taking in the vast area we were standing in. This location is the center of Beijing and all the roads make larger & larger circles around it. After a while, we noticed these "plain clothes" men watching our group. Were we just being paranoid? Our guide advised us that it was probably time to move on . . . (but there's no crime in Beijing.)