Plate G8.no17: Zhengyang Gate – Tian’anmen Square – Beijing (China)*

Tian’anmen Square will always be that place – certainly to anyone of my generation – that place, where that awful thing happened.
I was glad to see the square and have the memory somewhat dispelled. It’s a space after all – dispassionate in its own right, and serves purpose for other things, both past and future.
I didn’t picture structures like this on its periphery – nor did I expect the crowds; it’s packed – and as a public space, it’s not small. But that was one of the residual aspects of the trek – scale. The numbers were vast, and hard to grasp. Eventually one gives up; I remember standing in this square and thinking: ok – this is, what it is – and feeling somehow, at home, and at peace, despite the throng and distance.

*Further comment can be found in: E Books – A Walkers Diary (Vol 3)/Trek Reflections – China 2016