Tiananmen Square

This morning we went to Tiananmen Square where there were different nationalities present. The area was built in 1651 and then enlarged in 1958, I believe. Of course this is also the site of the infamous protests of June 4, 1989 where students opposed communist ruling and control; many deaths occurred from this incident. A tall, thick obelisk, built from 1952 to 1958, stands in the center of everything as tribute to the People’s Republic of China. Also in Tiananmen Square, there were at least five cameras on each lamp post to survey the area. There were also two statues that displayed the peasant’s during the Cultural Revolution. Museums on China's history were also in the plaza. From here several gateways led into the Forbidden City; most of the buildings inside the city seemed to be originally built during the 1420’s and then rebuilt at a later date. It served as an imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Emperors often stayed to host banquets in the buildings or used them as a closet. At one location a story was told about an emperor who hid a box with the name of his successor to the position, and it was not to be found until the death of the current man.