Beijing: Tiananmen Square

Despite having visited Beijing frequently since September, the closest I’d got to Tiananmen Square was speeding past it in a cab, on the way to dinner. The view from the cab suggested that that was enough: it was big and squarey and that was about it.
But last Friday, I decided to walk around the centre of Beijing and to stop of at Tiananmen, really just to say I had. It was big and squarey and that was about it.

I much prefer the old Tiananmen, before Mao went all megalomaniacal and tore it all down.

It was on the way to Tiananmen that I also realised Shijiazhuang has corrupted me. I’m still suffering from the ‘tuberculosis’ (actually some sort of virus, but TB is way more fun to say in a queue) I got in May. Everyone spits on the floor in the Shiz. And although I deplore it, being a hypocrite, I’d started to do it to.

After a coughing fit, I did the deed, just as two Chinese guys walked past. I don’t think they could’ve looked more horrified if I’d been taking a shit on the pavement. And then I realised that nobody spits in downtown Beijing. Whoops.

I’m glad to finally be able to take part in SkyWatch Friday again, follow the link to check out other skies from around the world.