Monday, May 5, 2008Beijing
Entering the Tiananmen Gate (translated: Gate of Heavenly Peace) that leads to the Forbidden City, you’re met with two familiar sights—the 2-ton portrait of Chairman Mao gazing over Tiananmen Square from on high, and the boy soldiers who stand rigid guard around him day and night. The painting, which is actually a more flattering portrait than the original dour image that hung there first, has been in place for over fifty years (sans its annual cleaning on the eve of National Day, when a copy temporarily hangs in its place).
The baby-faced soldiers surrounding the gate look barely old enough to have facial hair, and stand as erect and still as stone. Not even as much as a blink.
The juxtaposition between youth and age with Tiananmen laid out just behind you is enough to make your head swim. Pretty potent stuff.
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