Excursion to Tian'anmen Square

"Has Mya seen Tian'anmen yet?" Tanya asked me. Actually, other people had asked me too.

"No, not yet. I really should take her, shouldn't I?"

"Of course - gotta see the largest square in the world!"

So it happened that Tanya and I decided to take Mya to see the symbol of Beijing, or even China, in the relative cool of one evening in July. We took the subway, since this was the quickest way, with no traffic jam. I was fully prepared to meet the crowd - after all, this is the "people's republic", the most crowded country in the world, only rivaled by India.

And I wasn't disappointed either. Chairman Mao used to tell the educated men and women of China to "get close to the working people". Here on Beijing subway, I couldn't get any closer. I was skin-to-skin with fellow commoners, my front, my back, my sides. I was so thankful that nobody was moving or breathing hard. Tanya was more experienced with crowds than I, and had managed to find a cosy little niche for Mya. Not enough space for pirouettes, but comfortable, with lots of air.

Changing lines was even more impressive. Hard to say where all these people had come from, but they occupied every square foot of the passage way. We were literally moving inch by inch. Countless heads in front of me and countless faces behind me. I I closed my eyes, I could still feel their collective heat and smell the smell of humanity. Again, I was grateful that nobody was pushing or making loud noises, and that Mya wasn't playing up either, except for kicking me in the legs for fun.

Thus we persevered and arrived at Tian'anmen Square. Amazing how people could fill up the largest square of the world! It was July, and China was celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party. There had been songs and dances on telly everyday for this grand event, and Mya loved watching them. I guessed that all these people had come from all over the country to help celebrate. The square was decorated with lots of flowers and gigantic LCD screens. Most people had already taken position around the flag pole, waiting for the famous flag lowering ceremony performed by the specially trained guards. Too late to find a place around the flag, but Tanya managed to squeeze out a spot between people waiting at the fence to see the guards marching out the Tian'anmen Gate.

"This place is boring. I want to go home!" The person we tried so hard to please said.

"Can't leave now - otherwise we'll lose the spot!" I shouted.

Just then, a lady selling ice blocks appeared. What a godsend! Tanya was quicker than I again, and bought one for Mya. Satisfied with this bribe, Mya happily stayed, while Tanya and I were both praying that the ice block last longer and the guards come out quicker.

Our prayer was answered. Traffic on the 12-lane Chang'an Avenue came to a halt, and every camera around us was ready. The guards marched out with synchronised strides - impressive! My sight of them was swallowed up by the crowd after 20 seconds. All I could see after that was the flag coming down slowly with the sunset and purple clouds in the background. Then it was all over.

"My legs are sore!" Someone had just finished her ice block and started complaining again.

"Let's sit down on the ground." Sitting on the largest square in the world was a real experience, quite a different perspective to see the crowd. Lots of other people got the same idea. But our rest didn't last long. Two police cars moved in. Through the loud speakers the police politely asked everyone to leave the square immediately.

"Come on, let's go, let's go." I was a little nervous for some reason.

"We Chinese are such obedient people!" Tanya commented. She found a police officer and asked, "why are you kicking everyone out? It's only 8pm!"

"The square must be cleared after 8pm." was the answer. Curfew? Why? I thought the Communist Party was celebrating its 90th birthday! As we were leaving the square, music fountains were switched on, Tian'anmen Gate was illuminated with beautiful lighting, songs and dances vibrated on the massive LCD screens. I bet the whole world would be able to see that on home TV.

The next day Tanya and I met up with June. All our families were going to a huge Peking Opera Palace for a banquet with live opera shows. I couldn't help but complain one more time about being kicked out of the square the previous night, and finished my whingeing with a heavy question mark, "why?".

"Must be a security issue," June was well-informed. "Several days ago at Tian'anmen Square a Chinese woman cut a female Italian journalist who was making a documentary in the arm with a razor blade. She was saying 'forgive me, forgive me, I didn't mean to hurt you...', then she bled the journalist's arm. It turned out she had grievances against the government, and what better way to get maximum attention than cutting a foreign journalist on Tian'anmen Square!"

Well, I guess it wasn't a huge loss being kicked out after all. Mya somberly told everyone she loved that ice block but didn't like that place.