Leaving the Forbidden City, we walked through a huge gate and we emerged under a huge statue of Mao Zedong in Tiananmon Square, the largest public square in the world.
Kites and birds soared above the crowds.
We asked our guide, Solomon about the students who were killed here and the one who burned himself in protest. He said he could not talk about it. There could be people who would hear and we would not see him again. Then he laughed about that as though he were kidding. But he did not talk about the protests. He just said he was not there at the time. Here in Tiananmon Square was our first experience with the street vendors. They were very persistent. We thought at first that their wares were defective, but later I bought from them. Two or three times we went through underground tunnels. The street vendors were there, too, and I wish now that I had bought the lighted tops we saw.
This is a statue of the workers and below is a KFC near the square.But we did not eat there. We ate Chinese!
At this point, those of us who liked Chinese food did not mind passing KFC. By the end of the week, though, we were all ready for American food, even fast food. This was our lunch restaurant.
After lunch we were back on the bus, headed for the Summer Palace of the Emperor and Empress. These are some of the pictures through the bus window.
We saw the old culture and the new city juxtaposed over and over. We stopped to see and take pictures of the Olympic stadium being built. It represents a bird's nest made of modern materials. Again, the old mixed with the new.
We saw the old culture and the new city juxtaposed over and over. We stopped to see and take pictures of the Olympic stadium being built. It represents a bird's nest made of modern materials. Again, the old mixed with the new.
1 comment:
I love that mixture of the old and new cultures - the cars on the highway and the bicycle carrying food - so cool!
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