It seemed like the clear choice, if you go to Beijing, you go to Tiananman Square. So after dropping B at the airport, I took the subway and 45 minutes later was in the midst of the chaos. The night before B and I had taken a late stroll and there wasn't a soul, so I was expecting this again, quiet and peaceful: 

I got this:

so I tried to blend in :) snapped a few pics then got into the queue with the rest of the black haired sea. We wound around and around, checked our bags, and I knew we were going to see General Mao's Mausoleum, I just didn't know how many people would be there! Half way though the queue the flower vendors sat with carts of single stemmed yellow mums. One can only assume the flower and the color was of great significant to this very culturally grounded country. One more switchback and we were in....a large room with a marble statue of General Mao and a lovely mural.  More amazing though was the quantity of flowers. Stacks 10 feet high clutter the room, there was something magnificent about it all. But I really wondered why we queued for so long just for this, and then they ushered us into the next room. Holy smokes there he was! In the flesh enclosed in a glass coffin. No pictures were allowed but it was quite curious, a perfectly preserved General Mao, with an open casket viewing daily from 8a-12p. And then I knew why they waited, and I was glad I waited too. I didn't buy a mum, I didn't bow when I saw his oddly preserved corpse, but I experienced something that is life changing to so many in China. I wasn't change by him, but gained a small insight into what makes the tick. And it made for a great pre-Halloween activity ;)