local sights of beijing

i realized that with a population of billions, you have to bite and claw your way around beijing. after the incident with the cab driver, i think i have learned to play their game...i forgot one little story from yesterday's post of the great wall - i think the stereotype about the driving here is true - when my minibus showed up yesterday to take my group to the great wall, the driver backed into a street sign and broke it in half. though the driving is crazy in every other asian city i have visited (most of india, cambodia, thailand, vietnam), i would characterize the driving in those cities as 'comfortable chaos' - here, i think the drivers are all a few fries short of a happy meal.

anyways, i went out to visit the most popular sights of the city, one of the biggest is pictured, tianaman square and the gateway to the forgotton city. as you can see, mao is

quite popular. i also went to a chinese acrobatics show. highly recommended.