Last night, for the first time in my life, I actually feared the police. We were in Tian’amen Square for the flag lowering ceremony and the police presence was unbelievable. They were walking through the crowd, driving squad cars, and stationed around in big vans. On top of all that, they were blaring messages to the people over loud speakers.
Tian’amen Square is located across from The Forbidden city. I cannot even begin to describe just how large and open it is. People were lined up 10 deep, give or take, to watch the ceremony. Chinese soldiers dressed in green uniforms surrounded the flag and marched in unison throughout the square. Everything was very formal and monitored. Eventually police stopped all traffic along the eight lane street between the Forbidden City gates and the Flag. The ceremony was beginning. Two lines of Soldiers emerged from the gates and marched across the street carrying white flags and rifles. The procession marched by the crowd for what I believe to be photo opportunities. After the pageantry stopped and the soldier stood at attention, one pushed a button and the flag lowered. They folded it and marched back towards Mao, whose picture sat above the Forbidden City gate.
I think the most interesting part of the ceremony was watching how the people in the Square reacted. Children were waving Chinese Flags and nearly everyone was taking pictures. The whole event lasted about 10 minutes. What followed was what really scared me: the police were literally chasing everyone out of the square. As people were trying to take pictures of all the bright lights and buildings, the police drove towards the people in their vans at high speeds with flashing lights on. The people started running and the police kept on driving behind them. Braeden even got chased! However, we did get some amazing photos and a glimpse at what the Chinese authorities are capable of!
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