Last Couple of Days in Beijing

I spent my last couple of days in Beijing wandering around, and I visited a couple of sites I hadn't managed to visit last time I was in town.

My hotel is in the Qian Men district, which is just south of Tian'anmen Square.  Qian Men is also the name of the gate south of the South Gate ("Qian Men" literally means "before gate") and also the name of one of the main roads leading south.  I think Qian Men Street is the site of the famous "Tank Man" photograph.

The Qian Men district is a major shopping district.

Here is a bridge near my hotel.  Just random equations in the middle of nowhere ...

Tian Tan (Temple of Heaven) Park.  As well as the site of a famous temple, this is a very large park.  Like all parks in China, it is full of people doing whatever they like - dancing in the grass, singing, playing badminton, whatever.  The singers and dancers drag along giant speakers like the size of a small carry-on (complete with wheels and a retractable handle).  They all play their music pretty loud so there is quite a din in these parks.  The only place I haven't seen this is at the Summer Palace (which may be why that is still my favourite park in Beijing).

A typical Chinese road.  The main commuter roads are wide and busy, and as you can see there are lanes on either side.  These are mostly for bicycles and mopeds, and are very common in China, even on the smaller roads.

A treat at the Night Market at Wangfujing Street.  Yes they are alive, wriggling on their spits.

The Wangfujing Night Market (during the day).

Since my hotel was south of Tian'anmen, I ended up walking through the square at least a couple of times a day.  There are checkpoints to get in, and you have to pass your bag through an x-ray.  There are x-rays at all subway stations too (and many historical sites) but in most places it's just a formality.  At Tian'anmen however they are very strict.  They search bags, open envelopes and wand people with metal detectors.  If you are Chinese, that is.  For foreigners they just smile and wave you through.  Yesterday was unusually busy and it turned out that Chairman Mao's Mosoleum was open!  I've never seen it open before.  The security was extra strict, and as I found out no cameras allowed :-(  So I was denied entry :-(  Since I had my big camera on me I couldn't even smuggle it in (I tried though).

The National Library of China, Library of Ancient Books.  I know there are other library fans out there.

Beihai Park.  ("Beihai" means "North Lake".)  All the lakes in Beijing are man made.

From the other side.  I can't remember what this is called but it was on a postcard I sent to someone, months and months ago.