At Home In The Wasteland Travel Blog

Another photo of Tiananmen Square, located in Beijing, China. The structure adorned with a portrait of Mao Zedong is the Tiananmen gate. Located north of Tiananmen Square, this gate served as the entrance to the Imperial City, within which the Forbidden City was located. The portrait of Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People’s [...]

The above photo is of the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall. Located approximately 60 kilometers from Beijing, the Juyong Pass section, which was first built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), played a vital role in the city’s defenses. If you find yourself in Beijing, then a visit to the Great Wall is a must. [...]

Happy New Year everyone! The first photo of the day for 2011 is this dragon turtle sculpture from the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. I was’t sure of the significance of this animal, so thankfully Wikipedia was able to shed some light on this sculpture: A dragon turtle is a legendary Chinese turtle with a [...]

You can find large lampposts with these cameras all over Tiananmen Square (these particular cameras are situated near the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall) along with numerous uniformed and plainclothes police officers. Since Tiananmen Square has been the site of important demonstrations, the authorities continue to keep a watchful eye on any activities taking place there [...]

Located in Beijing, this is a Taoist temple built from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City. The circular building is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests where the Emperor prayed for good harvests. The Temple of Heaven was declared [...]

I don’t think there is enough money in the world to get me to eat a scorpion. OK, maybe I would do it for $500. Scorpions on a stick were one of the many interesting snacks you could purchase at the Wangfujing Snack Street. I went the safe route and opted for what I call [...]

The Tiananmen gate, located north of Tiananmen Square, served as the entrance to the Imperial City, within which the Forbidden City was located. The portrait of Mao Zedong was placed on the gate in 1949. The left sign reads “Long Live the People’s Republic of China” and the right one reads “Long Live the Great [...]

After sampling the firearms of the People’s Liberation Army, I was off to climb the Great Wall of China. I visited the Juyong Pass section which was first built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Located approximately 60 kilometers from Beijing, it played a vital role in the city’s defenses. I would have liked to have [...]

I had a few days to kill in Beijing prior to my trip to North Korea, so before leaving the United States I started researching some of the sites I wanted to visit. I knew that I couldn’t miss the typical Beijing tourist attractions such as Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, but I also [...]