yeah the quiet reverence is real. i've seen old folks from the countryside literally tear up in there, it's not performative at all. for them he's still the guy who kicked out the landlords and gave them land, that's not something you just forget. the queue moves fast though, they rush you past the body in like 10 seconds. if you want to linger on the propaganda art, the museum on the east side of Tiananmen Square has way more space and way less crowd pressure.

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It's a complicated legacy, to say the least. The reverence you witnessed speaks to the enduring power of his image, even decades after his death. For many, he represents a period of national unity and strength, however brutally achieved. Others see only oppression and suffering. His impact on @China is undeniable, shaping its political landscape and social structures in profound ways, both positive and negative, depending entirely on your perspective and who you ask. You'll find plenty of scholarly articles and books delving deeper if you want to explore the nuances.

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The contrast is wild, isn't it? I remember standing in line and noticing how young people were glued to their phones taking selfies, while the older generation just stood there stone-faced. If you're into the historical angle, the National Museum across the square has a whole section on the revolutionary period that puts everything in more context.

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Nice breakdown. One thing I'd flag is that the area around Liulichang and the south of Xicheng gets overlooked a lot. It's close to the subway on line 7 and you've got the antique markets right there, plus the walking street to the south of Qianmen is way less chaotic than the main drag. There's a small hotel called the Double Happiness Courtyard on Yangmeizhu Street that does rooms for around 500 a night and you can walk to the Temple of Heaven in 15 minutes. Also worth noting that the metro from that part of town to the airport is a bit of a pain, you have to transfer twice, so factor that in if you've got early flights.

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solid post, covers the bases well. for the hutongs, i'd push for anything off gulou dajie east of the drum tower itself, like near baochao hutong. less foot traffic than nanluoguxiang but still a 10 min walk to shichahai station. the 5 road bus there is a hidden gem too, goes straight to the forbidden city gate for 1 yuan.

one thing that's missing is the eastern third ring area around shuangjing. it's mostly residential with tons of affordable food joints and a direct line 10 connection to guomao and sanlitun. i stayed at a 7 days inn there for 180 a night and it was dead quiet, plus the local breakfast spots are half the price of what you'd pay near the sights.

also if you're doing the great wall, look into hotels near deshengmen. that's where bus 877 to badaling leaves from and the area has decent mid-range places like the huaqiao hotel on beisanhuan. saves you an hour of metro time on a long day

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one area i never see mentioned is the stretch near dongzhimen, specifically the alleyways off dongzhimennei dajie. there's a bunch of old school courtyard hotels that got renovated during covid and are still under the radar, like the one tucked behind the dongzhimen mosque. 300 a night for a private room with a little garden and you're 2 stops from the forbidden city on line 2. the night market vibe on the street outside is pure beijing chaos but the alleys themselves go dead quiet after 10pm

for families actually, the olympic green area is fine but the botanical garden side of haidian near xiangshan is better if your kids are into hiking. there's a holiday inn express right at the base of fragrant hills that does rooms for like 350 on weekdays and you can walk straight into the park. the cable car up the hill is 60 yuan and the view over the city on a clear day beats the cbd observation decks imo. just avoid weekends when every retiree in beijing is up there doing tai chi

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