Tiananmen Square is the large open square near the centre of Beijing, named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which sits to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City. It has great cultural significance as a symbol because it was the site of several key events in Chinese history. The square covers 100 acres, which makes it the largest urban square in the world
The photo on the left is a 1919 rally of the marxist movement protesting the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, and the right shows the incident with the student stopping the tanks in 1989.
2009 had nothing more sinister than us, and a crowd of mainly Chinese tourists, having our photos taken with the Forbidden City in the background.
Being China, Tiananmen Square was full of men in uniform, some of them even having their family pictures taken, and lots of red flags flying there.
Even the government buildings here are on a Herculean scale - this being the Great Hall of the People, the parliament building, which was built in September 1959. It was one of the "Ten Great Constructions" completed for the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic and was built in 10 months by volunteers.
Just outside Mao's tomb are these two statues, commemorating Mao's long march. They are all in dramatic poses.
And there is Mao's tomb itself. Although Mao had wished to be cremated, his body was embalmed, and construction of a mausoleum began shortly after his death. This popular attraction is in the middle of Tiananmen Square. The remains of the Great Helmsman are on display for public viewing. People line up for hundreds of yards every day to see the body, many paying tribute to him.
We did not have the time to join the queue, as it would have taken several hours to get to the tomb. Literally thousands of Chinese - and a handful of bemused foreigners - join the long, winding queues to see Mao's body every morning. The fact that it's free means every Chinese who visits the capital takes in the mausoleum.
From Tiananmen it was a short hop to the Forbidden City, which runs directly off the square.