Capital Museum and Tiananmen Square

After working 10 days straight, this past weekend was a much needed break and the perfect opportunity to play tourist in my new city. Unfortunately the pollution was particularly unhealthy, so we eliminated any outdoor options and opted to go to the Beijing Capital Museum. Coming from Washington, DC, I have particularly high standards for museums (cough cough The Smithsonian museums). While not quite a Smithsonian, the Capital Museum was well done and thoroughly enjoyable.

The architecture of the building itself was amazing and the art inside was no less captivating. We began our journey on the top level and worked our way to the lobby, which was brimming with children, families, and tour groups. Highlights of the museum included exploring the history of hutongs (narrow back streets and alleys), fawning over beautiful porcelain and jade pieces, learning about different pagodas dotted throughout China, and taking in the elegance of handcrafted scrolls.

After spending a good portion of the early afternoon at the museum, we decided to stop at Tiananmen Square before heading home. I do not feel qualified to go into the political history of Tiananmen Square (do your research!), but suffice it to say between Mao's omnipresent stare on the "Gate of Heavenly Peace" and the incredible number of heavy duty security cameras and fire extinguishers, you are certainly made aware of the significance of this landmark.

We gradually made our way around the square, fully taking in the gate, statues, and surrounding buildings. Since the weather was crummy, we didn't to be outside for too long (especially since we didn't have our masks with us), so after taking maaany pictures (and pictures of taking pictures), we departed the square, said our temporary goodbye to Mao and took the subway system back to our apartment.