Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City

My best friend Bonnie came to Beijing to visit me!!  How super awesome fabulosa is that???  We spent yesterday at Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City.  Tiananmen looked slightly different than what I expected.  I had always seen pictures on the news or in books but it didn't look how I thought it would.  It is very much in the city center.  On the west and east sides there are government museums and buildings.  Both are huge and we didn't visit either one.  The actual square itself is very big and open.  The ground is just concrete - no trees or natural growth around at all.  On the South end is the gate to the city.  The building looks very old and traditional and the gate is quite large and beautiful. Across headed north is another small building and on the other side of that more open space.  They have put in two extremely large plasma televisions to play music and show pictures of various places and things.  I'm not sure what the point of having them there is.  As you continue north you see the entrance to the Forbidden City area which is the building or wall with the famous picture of Mao.  There were also several groups of Chinese military members walking around the square.  Police and military members from what I currently understand, do not carry guns or weapons in public.  
As you walk into the first part of The Forbidden City, there are various vendors selling hats, toys, Chinese Flags, etc...  One of the most interesting things they had for sale was a large, toy Chinese Soldier that crawls on the ground holding a gun.  I found it to be quite disturbing.  You can tell that many of the Chinese are proud of their military history (also indicated by the high number of military style Chinese soap operas and dramas on the television).  There are people there trying to get you to see the side exhibits and give you tours.  Bonnie and I did our best to move on by ourselves.  Bonnie opted for the recorded tour but I chose not to because I figured I’d do it at a time when I could really take more time to explore things.  The Forbidden City is very pretty and extremely interesting.  The buildings all look very similar but each has a distinct purpose – one for the emperor or empress to conduct business, one for the wedding night, one for funerals, one for resting, etc… every courtyard or building has been emptied out of most items that used to be there.  There are some artifacts and pieces still in the rooms but Bonnie and I agreed that it did seem to be quite empty for a place that housed the Chinese royalty and government for so many years.  The items are stored away somewhere or perhaps they were destroyed during the revolution – I haven’t done my research yet so I need to find out.  The back garden was really beautiful and peaceful.  As you exit the city there is a park across the street.  You can climb to the top for a view of things but Bonnie wasn’t feeling well and it was freezing!  I’ll make the trip up the hill another day!  I am looking forward to going back to The Forbidden City when the weather is a bit warmer!