Tiananmen Square is just south of the
Forbidden City and serves as a major meeting place for the people of
Beijing and the government. The square itself used to be covered
in many more buildings but they were demolished to make Tiananmen larger
than any other public square, including Moscow's Red Square (those
emperors had egos!).
In addition to serving as a meeting spot,
Tiananmen Square also serves as an odd market for useless Mao souvenirs
including busts, lighters and bags. The most popular item shoved
at you is the red book of Mao's quotations, which has clearly been
translated into all languages spoken on this planet.