Beijing

We walked to Tiannammen Square. It is incredible to stand there and look at how much China has changed in the last 17 years. The people are all stylishly dressed, everyone is carrying digital cameras and madly snapping pictures. The police we saw all looked like they were having a laugh-- they were the least serious group of police I have ever seen. They were joking around, smiling, smoking cigarettes, lots of them had their uniforms half off or unbuttoned. It is such a different view of China than the tanks and soldiers killing students. I think only now, being here, am I starting to see the Chinese as individuals and not a large, faceless suppressed populus. Not that the Chinese government is free of criticism-- but being here I can see the things they are doing to make their nation better. I suppose this is a prime example of why travel is an integral part of international and cultural understanding.


The Forbidden City