We started the day at 8:30 am and off we went to Tiananmen Square. It was swarmed with both Chinese tourists and foreigners like us. Security areas were set up before you were able to get onto the square. Apparently Chairman Mao's picture is changed yearly, so the portrait looked quite new! There were huge lines of predominantly Chinese nationals in line to view Mao's Mausoleum.
We walked through the square into the Forbidden City. In addition to the Chinese and foreign tourists, we saw the Swedish womens' handball team.
After a traditional lunch, we went to the famous Lama Temple which houses one of the largest Buddhas in the world. It's 85 feet tall and made out of one sandalwood tree.
About one in five Chinese are Buddhists so there were lots of people lighting incense and kneeling for a short prayer. One person who stood out was a former Harlem Globetrotter who posed for photos with many tourists--including my kids!
We also went through some hutongs, or alleyways, by trishaw. We toured a neighborhood and actually visited a hutong home and had tea with the owner. Life looks very simple in these neighborhoods to say the least, sitting in the shadows of newer apartment buildings nearby.
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