This is my experience in Beijing, China in the Summer of 2009.
If you came to this webpage first, it's better if you
start from the beginning of the story.
04/08/24 Update: I just discovered my flash videos for the China 2009 website are no longer playing.
No one told me about this.
I don't know how long they were down but it had to be within the last 4 years.
Anyway, I converted the video format from Flash (FLV) to MP4 to be more compatible
with the current browsers and found another player
so this video is up and running again!
At Beijing.
In this video, I pan around Tianamen Square showing Mao's famous picture,
the Monument to the People's Heroes' obelisk, Mao's mausoleum building,
the security checkpoint tent and the National Museum.
I was quite surprised to see the state of Tianamen Square today. The air is quite polluted
with chemical smog. Mao's picture is very blurry through the smog and I'm standing approximately
HALFWAY in the middle of the square. I remember when Mao's picture was crystal clear if you stood
all the way ON THE OTHER SIDE of the square!
Also, all the pavement stones are now a dark brown. They were sparkling white when I saw
them in 1989.
It's hot and humid. The temperature is 100 million degrees!