Ahhh...at last, the famous Tian'anmen Square - one of the biggest city centre squares in the world. It's named after Tian'anmen - The Gate of Heavenly Peace - the first gate into the Forbidden Palace, built in the early 1400s (seen in Pic #2).
The Square is located to the immediate south of The Forbidden Palace and is bordered by the Great Hall of the People (western side - Pic #1 - Parliament), the Revolutionary & Historical Museum (eastern side - Pic #3 - poor museum, Communist Party mouthpiece), and the Mao's Tomb (where his pickled body lies like a surreal wax model).
It's indeed a huge place (880 metres north-south, 500 metres east-west: can fit 60 soccer fields) with couples and families strolling by peacefully and where people fly huge kites. In stark contrast to its sometimes violent history.
