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Table of Contents and Quick Navigation

To get in the Mood for the Train Journey to Tibet
Slow Travel - a great Way to Travel
The Route of the Lhasa Railway to the Roof of the World
From Xining to Lhasa - A few Pictures
Ticket Classes and Prices of the Lhasa Railway
Tips for your Ticket Purchase for the Lhasa Railway
Pick-up of Tickets at the Train Station
Tips for the Organization of Luggage in the Lhasa Railway
Orientation at Xining Station
How to find your Carriage and your Bed
Where to put the Luggage?
Equipment in the Hard Sleeper Class
Altitude Sickness
The physical Well-Being
Tips for the Packing List for the Lhasa Railway
Arrival in Lhasa

To get in the Mood for the Train Journey to Tibet

My earpax is penetrated by a pimped rumble. I feel the vibration of the wheels and the unevenness of the tracks. From the corridor light shines into our dark cabin. I roll to my other side, carefully not to fall out of the narrow top bed. A glance at the altimeter lets me breathe a sigh of relief. After four hours driving time, it is 23:30 we are again under 3,000 m. Finally I fall asleep.

When I wake up in the morning we are at 4.200 m. I look into a hilly landscape covered with icing sugar. On the horizon there are higher mountains with snow-covered peaks. From time to time I can spot wild donkeys, Tibetan antelopes or yaks, sometimes also a nomad hut. Again and again there are small houses of track marshals along the parallel road and now and then we pass a settlement. I am looking forward to the day in the train that lies ahead of me.

Slow Travel - a great Way to Travel

Travelling by train produces less carbon dioxide than travelling by plane. That alone is reason enough to travel more often by train. But there are even more advantages over travelling by plane. Because one approaches a new country or a new culture more slowly and has more time to perceive the changes more consciously.

With Slow Travel, I feel less foreign and more connected to my destination and the people who live there. So somehow more like a traveller than someone who just consumes. In addition, a train journey like this trains one's own travel skills, self-confidence and openness. And a long-distance train ride always has the potential for great travel stories.

The Route of the Lhasa Railway to the Roof of the World

There are several railway lines that go to Lhasa. However, most travellers take the train from Xining in Qinghai Province to Lhasa. This is the shortest train journey to Tibet with only one night on the train. The route also has the most beautiful landscapes to offer. The train even runs five times a day and takes about 21 hours to cover the distance of 1,956 km. If you want to travel longer by train, you can choose the longer route from Beijing to Lhasa . However, here the train only travels once a day and it is therefore more difficult to get a ticket.

We chose Xining as the departure station because we were more flexible in our choice of departure time. Because if you leave Xining in the evening, then you will drive through the most beautiful landscape in daylight. If you start from Beijing, you have no choice in this respect and the most beautiful landscape you will experience only in the dark.

Xining also has a lot to offer. And if you spend a few days in Xining at an altitude of 2,200 m and maybe go on a day trip to Qinghai Lake at 3,200 m, you'll already have quite a good altitude adjustment.

From Xining to Lhasa - A few Pictures

The drive takes us past Cona Lake in the afternoon. This is a holy lake for the Tibetans and also one of the highest freshwater reservoirs. On the shore of the lake black-necked cranes fly up, geese and ducks look for food in the water, seagulls fly just above the water or clean their plumage on the shore.

Along the way there are countless small police stations. Each of them carries a Chinese flag. As soon as we drive past, the police stations come out in their yellow warning vests and salute.

We pass small settlements. Small one-storey stone houses, white, the roof decorated with colourful prayer flags. Around the houses there is a walled courtyard, next to it there is a second courtyard with shelters for the cattle. The paths are unpaved, at the roadsides there are mopeds and older cars. Around noon we see more and more yaks and sheep on the grazing grounds next to the railway line. It is lunchtime, almost everyone touches his instant noodles in the colorful plastic packaging. In the wagon there is a pleasurable smacking and burping from all directions.

Ticket Classes and Prices of the Lhasa Railway

There are three different classes in the Lhasa Railway. The following prices apply to a single ticket from Xining to Lhasa in the summer season.

• The Soft Sleeper class (1st class) with 4 beds per cabin. Here it is more comfortable than in the Hard Sleeper class, there are doors for more privacy and tranquility. Tickets are available for about 105 Euro.
• The Hard Sleeper class (2nd class) is much cheaper at 67 Euros. Each cabin has 6 beds. Since many locals travel in the Hard Sleeper cabins, you are less touristy.
• With a price of 29 Euros, the Hard Seats are the cheapest way to travel to Lhasa, but with zero comfort.

Tips for your Ticket Purchase for the Lhasa Railway

Even the purchase of a ticket for the Lhasa Railway was a small adventure in itself. The ticket purchase demanded flexibility, quick rethinking and action from us. And before we knew it, we had our first change in the itinerary even before the trip started.

It is a bit different than in Germany. You can reserve your desired tickets 60 days before the scheduled departure date at trip.com .But you can't buy them yet. About four weeks before the trip you will be notified by trip.com if your reservation was successful and the tickets will be issued. If you're lucky, you'll get the tickets. If not, you will now have the opportunity to choose another train or class. And now you have to be fast, because the denn die trains are fully booked in no time. You can literally watch it happen.

The booking system randomly allocates the beds. It tries to occupy neighbouring beds, but unfortunately you can't influence anything. Likewise, you have no influence on whether you get a lower, middle or upper bed. If you are more than one person, it can also happen that your beds are in different wagons when you book. If you are not satisfied with the number of beds allocated, try your luck with another booking and then cancel the first one.

We had no luck with our reservation and did not get our desired tickets in the Soft Sleeper class. Only the third booking made us proud owners of two tickets for adjacent beds in the Hard Sleeper class, but on the train two days later. We were quite happy that our itinerary had so much room for rescheduling.

Finally time to read again! Here I have a few tips for suitable travel reading* for you. Maybe you also want to listen to an audiobook in the Audible trial subscription*? Then you can listen while your eyes wander over the vast plateau of Tibet.

Pick-up of Tickets at the Train Station

But buying online is not enough. You must pick up your ticket at the station upon presentation of your passport, the pick-up number on your order at Trip.com and the Tibet Travel Permit. The Tibet Travel Permit is your ticket, so to speak. Nothing works without it. However, it can only be applied for by a local travel agency. We received it by e-mail only two days before the departure of the train, normally about seven to ten days before. In summer 2019 we should take six copies of the travel permit with us. We didn't have to hand in any of them, but we had to show them countless times.

In Xining, the ticket collection point is located on the upper platform of the station, to the left of the main entrance. The entrance to the train station is only possible after presentation of a valid ticket. In the basement, below the station forecourt, there are several shops where you can buy provisions for the journey.

Tips for the Organization of Luggage in the Lhasa Railway

It is best to pack your luggage in several bags: Valuables in an extra bag, which you always carry with you, then a bag with the things you need on the train journey and have to open more often, as well as provisions. This will also reduce the risk of your large baggage appearing too large and having to be checked in. Our luggage was not weighed or remeasured. You are allowed 20 kg per person and the maximum overall dimensions are 160 cm. If you have more luggage, you must check it in. You should be at the station about two hours before departure. Your luggage will then be transported in the same train in the baggage carriage.

Orientation at Xining Station

Once you've passed through the security check at the main entrance, the next step is to find the right track . A large display shows all departures. The destinations are in Chinese only. But you can then assign the right track based on the departure times.

There is a huge waiting hall with enough seats, snacks, shops and a supermarket with a large selection of provisions and even filling stations for boiled water for your thermos flask.

For boarding you have to show your ticket, passport and travel permit.

How to find your Carriage and your Bed

You will find the number of the wagon and cabin on your booking confirmation and on your ticket. Here you can also see if you have the lower, middle or upper bed.

The number of the wagon is written on the ticket before the Chinese character 车, the number of the cabin before the character 号. You can tell which bed you have by the characters "上铺" for the upper bed, "中铺" for the middle bed, "下铺" for the lower bed.

After boarding, the boarding personnel will distribute forms for completion. Everything was in Chinese and since nobody spoke English in our and the neighbouring cabins, we just looked helplessly at the characters. Later the wagon attendant brought us the forms of the "Passenger Health declaration" in English.

Where to put the Luggage?

In the Hard Sleeper class there are two ways to stow your luggage: Under the lower bed or on the luggage racks at the foot of the upper beds. You should always carry valuables with you. There is no lockable luggage storage. There is also a hook and a small net on each bed for storing smaller items.

Equipment in the Hard Sleeper Class

If you want to travel cheap and comfortable by train to Lhasa, the Hard Sleeper class is the right choice. The beds are not as hard as the name suggests. The name simply means that the mattress is thinner than the Soft Sleepers.

There are six beds in each cabin, three of which are arranged one above the other. The cabins are open towards the corridor, so there is no lockable door, no curtains and no privacy. Each bed is equipped with a mattress, blanket and pillow. The beds are with 60 cm x 180 cm slightly smaller than the Soft Sleepers but still as big as my sleeping mat. Only with the lower bed the distance to the ceiling is so high that you can sit comfortably on it and have a view through the window. I had the upper bed. It's not that easy to circle your way over the steps into the bed. Sitting is only possible with your head bent.

There is also a folding seat and a folding table per compartment in the corridor. Between the two lower beds there is a small table.

At 22 o'clock the light in the cabins is switched off, then it is night rest. Then only dimmed light from the hallway shines in. 

Sockets or USB charging points can be found in the corridor, but only one per cabin. Remember to take an adapter with you, possibly also a multiple plug. It's best to recharge all batteries completely before entering the train. WiFi is not available on trains.

In the Hard Sleeper class there are two hock toilets built in. Usually there is no toilet paper left, so take enough with you. Also at the end of the wagons you will find three open wash basins. You have to bring your own towels and soap.

Altitude Sickness

The Lhasa Railway runs on about 90 % of the line at an altitude of 4,000 m. In Xining it starts at 2200 m and crosses two passes over 5,000 m on its way to Lhasa (Fenghuo Pass at 5,010 m and Tanggula Pass at 5,220 m). After about 21 hours you will arrive in Lahsa at 3.650 m.

A height adjustment is not possible in such a short time. In order to prevent altitude sickness, oxygen is fed into the wagons via the air conditioning system. Nevertheless, you may feel the altitude. The first signs are headaches and tiredness. It helps to rest, drink a lot and breathe deeply. I didn't have any difficulties with the altitude adjustment myself, but I had already spent three nights in Xining at 2,200 m before.

In addition there is an individual oxygen supply via a breathing tube at each bed, which has to be activated by the car attendant. From Golmund there are medical staff on the train who can be contacted if necessary.

Another effect of the height is the increase in UV radiation. The windows of the train are therefore all equipped with a UV filter. The dining car also has white curtains with a picture of the Lhasa train on a bridge.

The physical Well-Being

If it gets too cramped in the cabins, you don't have a window seat or you get hungry, you'll find the dining carriage in the middle of the train. Here you can sit and eat comfortably. Chinese and Tibetan dishes are offered, but the menu is only in Chinese. After a while there was a waitress who explained the menu to us with some English and took our order.

In addition to the dining car, you can buy snacks, fruit and drinks on mobile cars that are pushed through the sleeping cars. But keep in mind that you pay a higher price for everything on the train. It's best to bring your own food. Since hot water is available on the train, you can make your own coffee, tea or instant noodles on the train at any time. If you order coffee in the dining car, you'll only get instant coffee, usually ready mixed with milk and sugar. You'll find the water stations at the end of the wagons. Here you can also fill your thermos jug with hot water. And remember: drinking a lot helps to adjust the height.

Tips for the Packing List for the Lhasa Railway

Here are a few tips on what you should take with you on the Lhasa Railway:

• thermos flask
• sleep specs
• Ohropax made of wax (the foam rubber ones don't work so well in height)
• Toilet paper
• Soap and towel
• Warm sweater
• Charging cable for mobile phone, Powerbar if necessary
• Adapter for the socket outlet
• Music or audio books
• book
• camera
• Helpful apps: Bing Translator (offline), Altimeter, Maps.me
• water, tea bags, instant coffee, provisions if necessary

You can find the right travel backpack, mountain boots and everything else you might need on the road at Globetrotter*.

Arrival in Lhasa

At the end of the trip there was an announcement in English which made me smile again and again:

“…It’s now time to say good by, we cannot stop the time. We wish to stay with you forever. We wish you a good health and hope to see you next time…”

After the arrival of the Lhasa Railway on the roof of the world you have to go through a security check again. Passport holders will be taken to a separate building to the right of the exit. In our train there were about 13 people with passports. All other travellers were Chinese.

Welcome to Lhasa!

Book Recommendations for Tibet

You want to know where the journey goes? Then I can recommend these books* about Tibet.

You can order these books at Amazon with a click on the pictures. If you buy a product via one of these affiliate links, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. The product will not be more expensive for you.

Have you ever ridden the Lhasa Railway yourself? How did you like it? Do you have any more questions about my article or any other tips for the ride on the Lhasabahn? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

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Recommendations for further Reading

Potala Palace in Lhasa - Photo Tips

The forgotten Kingdom of Guge - a visit to the Ruins of Tsaparang

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Flag Ceremony

The flag ceremony was introduced only after the bloody suppression of the protests for more democracy in June 1989. Travel guides describe the spectacle as a "must see". Chinese tourists in particular make a regular pilgrimage to the ceremony. But nobody remembers the victims of the protests. On the contrary. The ceremony is held in honour of the communist People's Republic of China.

At the flag ceremony on Tiananmen Square, soldiers of the People's Liberation Army hoist the Chinese flag in front of the Gate of Heavenly Peace. In the evening, at sunset, they march up again to lower the flag.

The crowd was impressive. So many gathered to watch the flag being lowered. Everything was locked in front of the Gate of Heavenly Peace. There was no getting through here. Several guards and the omnipresent video cameras had everything in view and paid attention. Everyone wanted to get as close as possible to the barriers in order to have a clear view of the ritual lowering of the Chinese flag at Tiananmen Square with their own eyes or with a smartphone. And the Mao portrait, which floats over the people at the Gate of Heavenly Peace, watched over everything. Want to learn more about the Mao Portrait? Then read on here .

Waiting for the flag to be lowered made up most of the spectacle. The actual ceremony, however, from the marching of the soldiers to the lowering of the flag to the departure, was only about ten minutes.

Tip: When exactly the sunrise or sunset is, you can see on the website Sunrise-Sunset when the bridge opens its lane for ships.

Do you need a break from the big city and want to get some fresh air? Then I can warmly recommend a tr ip to the Great Wall of China near Jiankou. Here you can read my article about a selfguided Hiking Tour on the Wall from Jiankou to Mutianyu.

The Chinese Flag in China

The Chinese flag plays an important role throughout the country. It is present everywhere, there is hardly a field of vision without it. During my trip I had the impression that it is shown particularly frequently in the Chinese occupied Tibet. Even more than in the capital Beijing. Almost every house wore it and many street lamps were decorated with two flags each. The Tibetan flag was not seen anywhere. Because it is forbidden by the Chinese government to show it or even to hoist it. In the souvenir shops in Tibet there were not even refrigerator magnets with the Tibetan flag to buy.

Something else worth knowing:

What do the Stars on the Chinese Flag mean?

The Chinese flag with the 5 stars on a red background has existed since 1949. Red is a lucky colour in China and at the same time the colour of the Han Chinese. The big star stands for the communist party of China. The four small stars symbolize the four social classes in China: workers, peasants, petty bourgeoisie and the bourgeoisie.

And what do the Elements on the Tibetan Flag mean?

The elements of the colorful Tibetan flag were first created under King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. However, the flag was first used as a military flag. Only after the 1959 uprising was it also used as a national flag. Today the Tibetan flag may neither be possessed nor shown in Tibet. However, it is used by the Tibetan government in exile. The white mountain Kailash is depicted in the middle below as a symbol of the nation. From the middle six red sunrays go up to the edge. These symbolize the six Tibetan tribes. Blue, on the other hand, stands for the interplay of religious and secular rule. The two golden snow lions represent the form of government based on Buddhist principles. Furthermore, the golden border means the Buddhist teaching and the jewel stands for the three jewels Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Book Recommendations for China

You want to know where the journey goes? Then I can recommend these books* about China.

You can order these books at Amazon with a click on the pictures. If you buy a product via one of these affiliate links, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. The product will not be more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to Beijing yourself and watched the flag ceremony? How did you like it? Do you have any questions about my article or any other suggestions? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Recommendations for further Reading

Visit to the Mao Mausoleum at Tiananmen Square

The Mao Portrait at Tiananmen Square

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Table of Contents and Quick Navigation

Great Wall of China
Hiking tour on the Great Wall of China: From Jiankou to Mutianyu
Directions to Jiankou
Sunrise at the Chinese Wall at the Zhengbeilou Tower
Ox Horn Edge
Mutianyu - Tower No. 23 to No. 14
Cable car at tower no. 14
What am I taking with me?
Sunset at the Chinese Wall in Simatai

Great Wall of China

The Chinese Wall is a system of several protective walls built at different times. The purpose of these walls was to protect the population from robbery by nomads from the north of the Chinese Empire. The first sections were built in the 7th century BC. The total length of the protective wall is 21,000 kilometres. However, the actual main wall is only about 2,400 kilometres long. It is the largest building in the world. Near Beijing there is a 600 km long section of which four sections have been restored for tourism. These are Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai and Juyonguan. There are also other sections that have not yet been restored. And these are the more interesting ones, because they are far less visited and more original. One of these sections is near Jiankou. It is a wild part of the wall, partly overgrown by bushes, with loose stones and steep climbs.

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Hiking tour on the Great Wall of China: From Jiankou to Mutianyu

After some research on the Internet I found a tour at the provider Wildgreatwall that exactly met our wishes: A self-guided hiking tour on the Great Wall of China from Jiankou to Mutianyu at sunrise. The hike from the wild wall section Jiankou to the completely restored section Mutianyu is about 10 kilometers long and takes about four hours. Most of the time we had the wall to ourselves and were able to explore and photograph this great building in peace and quiet. In total there are about 600 meters of altitude to overcome.

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Directions to Jiankou

You can find out exactly when the sunrise is on the Sunrise-Sunset website. You can then arrange the time for the pickup from the hotel individually with the tour provider.

We started early in the morning. Our driver from wildgreatwall picked us up at 1:30 a.m. (!) from our accommodation in Beijing. After 2,5 hours drive we reached the village Xizhazi. From here we started in semi-darkness to the Great Wall (don't forget your headlamps!).

Sunrise at the Chinese Wall at the Zhengbeilou Tower

The hilly path behind the village Xizhazi up to the wall was a bit hard to find. For this reason the driver took us up to the Zhengbeilou tower. The one hour ascent to the tower was the most strenuous part of the whole hike and requires some climbing. After reaching the wall there was time for a breather. We said goodbye to our driver, who we only saw again later at the end of our hike. Equipped with a detailed description of the way and information about the history of the wall we continued on our own. But first we explored the ruins of the Zhengbeilou Tower and waited for the sunrise. The view from the top of the tower was breathtaking. Slowly it became brighter and the sun threw its first rays on the wall and towers.

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Ox Horn Edge

From the Zhengbeilou tower, the wall winds its way up the mountain to Ox Horn Edge. The path is steep, partly overgrown and requires some surefootedness. We passed several watchtowers. There are great views and photo opportunities from here. The highest point of Ox-Horn Edge is 1.044 meters. Climbing Ox-Horn Edge takes about 1.5 hours. The way down is even steeper and we even had to hold on to the wall in places. Afterwards we went further east to the 23rd tower of Mutianyu - the last restored tower at the Mutianyu wall.

Mutianyu - Tower No. 23 to No. 14

The trees around tower 23 are decorated with red ribbons. We found remains of a former drinks stand, a sign and a Chinese flag blowing in the wind. From here we went down the hill along the restored section for about an hour. The way led partly over quite steep and long stairs. The tower no. 20 of Mutianyu was blocked some time ago. To get further here, we climb over a wall about one meter high.

The Great Wall of Mutianyu was built in the middle of the 6th century. The entire section is about 2.2 kilometres long with 23 towers and served as a northern barrier to defend the capital and the imperial tombs during the Ming Dynasty. It is the longest fully restored part of the Great Wall.

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Cable car at tower no. 14

Mutianyu is more tourist-friendly than the wild section Jiankou. Here the wall is not only completely restored but also offers a cable car, toboggan run and chair lift. The closer we came to the tower 14 of Mutianyu, the more visitors we met. Since the wall here is not as wild and romantic as in the previous section, we decided to leave the wall here with the cable car. When we arrived at the bottom we took the shuttle bus to the big parking lot at the visitor centre, where our driver was waiting for us. 

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What am I taking with me?

• For the hiking tour from Jiankou to Mutianyu I recommend hiking boots, preferably ankle-high. On the wild section, the danger of buckling is quite high.
• Clothes according to the weather and temperatures (check weather forecast!). If you start before sunrise, it will also be cold in summer. During the steep ascent to the starting point you will quickly get very warm, so I recommend the proven onion layer system, if necessary a zip off trousers.
• if necessary cap and gloves if cooler weather is predicted
• probably hiking poles
• Headlamp for ascent before sunrise
• Sun cream, sun hat and sun glasses
• plenty of drinking water and snacks for on the go
• Camera, spare battery if necessary

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Sunset on the Great Wall of China in Simatai

Want to see more of the Great Wall of China? Then you can continue from Mutianyu to the section in Simatai. The Simatai section is particularly interesting due to its location along steep gorges and its diversity. We visited the sunset section. However, only the area between east tower no. 5 and east tower no. 6 is open. Accordingly it was full then also on the wall. After the sun has set, gas lamps and other lighting bathe the wall in a romantic light.

Gubei Water Town is the starting point for your night tour in Simatai, because at the end of the town is the valley station of the cable car. The place is a replica of Wuzhen Water Town in southern China. The entrance fee for Gubei Water Town is already included in the tickets for the night tour Simatai.

Book Recommendations for China

You want to know where the journey goes? Then I can recommend these books* about China.

You can order these books at Amazon with a click on the pictures. If you buy a product via one of these affiliate links, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. The product will not be more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to China yourself and visited the Great Wall of China? How did you like it? Do you have any questions about my article or any other suggestions? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Recommendations for further Reading

Visit to the Mao Mausoleum at Tiananmen Square

On the roof of the world with the Lhasa Railway

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Table of Contents and Quick Navigation

Meeting Mao in China
Myth and branded Goods of China
A Picture of Records
The Mao Portrait as a Symbol of Protest
Icon of Pop Culture
Protests against Mao Cult of Personality
The Mao Portrait at Tiananmen Square
And today?

Meeting Mao in China

It is lunchtime, it is hot and the place is still relatively empty. I watch the tourists taking pictures of themselves in front of Mao. Every minute Mao is photographed about twenty times. I return to the Mao portrait two more times. The first time in the evening after sunset. The Chinese flag in Tiananmen Square has just been taken down. The second time after the end of the Forbidden City's opening hours. I can't count the photos and selfies now taken with Mao.

Myth and branded Goods of China

Tiananmen Square is the largest fortified public square in the world. It is framed by the Gate of Heavenly Peace with the Mao Portrait in the north. The Mao mausoleum is on the southern side. In addition, enormous buildings in the style of socialist realism rise on the right and left. One building is the Chinese National Museum, the other is the Great Hall of the People. The Chinese flag also flies on the square itself. A ritual flag ceremony is held there daily at sunrise and sunset. Learn more about the Flag Ceremony at Tiananmen Square.

Mao Zedong was Chairman of the Central Committee (CC) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1949 to 1976. Since September 30, 1949, his portrait has hung over the Gate of Heavenly Peace. Above it is the tribune from which Mao proclaimed the People's Republic of China in 1949. A place of historical importance.

Until the Cultural Revolution, however, the portrait was only shown twice a year for about ten days each time. Due to the deliberate scarcity of the presentation of the painting, the Mao portrait received even more attention. Since 1966, however, the picture has been permanently visible. In 1976, the year of his death, however, a black-and-white photograph hung in place of the color portrait.

During my visit, the Gate of Heavenly Peace is scaffolded and veiled due to construction work. Only the Mao portrait is freely visible. As a result, Mao appears even more present, as the gaze is directed even more strongly to the portrait.    

A Picture of Records

The Mao portrait is a picture of superlatives: at 6.40 metres high and 5 metres wide, it is the largest portrait of a ruler in the world. With a weight of over a ton, it is probably also the heaviest. However, it is certainly the most frequently reproduced portrait of a human being ever. On the Mao Bible alone, it was spread about 2.2 billion times until 1968.

In the People's Republic of China the portrait was omnipresent: in public buildings, schools, private homes and on propaganda posters. In addition, countless photos were taken of the image. It became a devotional image to which redemption and even miraculous qualities were sometimes attributed. Mao words were recited in front of the picture, loyalty dances were performed or, in addition, fanatically copies were made. The US satirical magazine The Onion finally put it in a nutshell: "Giant Mao poster wins power in China". This was the headline of a fictional report from Beijing on October 2, 1949. His portrait is still omnipresent today. Because it is depicted on Chinese banknotes: whether 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 Yuan - the same image of Mao is on all of them.

The Mao Portrait at Tiananmen Square is at once idol, art object, myth and brand. But above all, it is an illusion that is intended to convey a consciously created image. Namely, the image of an ageless, fatherly, godlike leader hovering above the masses. Both background and ruler symbols are deliberately avoided. By choosing a simple grey uniform jacket the person Mao is lifted into the foreground. The grey jacket later became famous as the so-called Mao suit.

The Mao Portrait as a Symbol of Protest

Mao's policies meant death for millions of Chinese. Nevertheless, the portrait became an icon of the anti-authoritarian protests of the 1960s. From 1967 onwards, it also became a symbol of the student movement in Western Europe and the USA. Mao thus became a symbol of protest against consumer society and capitalism.

Icon of Pop Culture

After President Nixon's visit to China in 1972, Andy Warhol created a series of colorful silkscreens that made Mao an international pop icon. In the process, Mao was alienated, his image de-ideologized and torn out of its historical context. The portrait of a dictator, or later the symbol against capitalism, ultimately became itself an expensive article on the capitalist art market. For this reason, originally signed silkscreens are currently offered for up to 210,000 dollars.

Protests against Mao Cult of Personality

But the Mao portrait in Tiananmen Square was also the target of political protest. In the spring of 1989, more than 200,000 demonstrators gathered in Tiananmen Square. Three young men carried out a colour attack and demanded an end to the personality cult. The climax of the protests was finally the erection of the "Goddess of Democracy" opposite the Mao portrait. In the end, the government crushed the demonstrations bloody and a tank brought down the goddess of freedom. You may remember the moving scene filmed by reporters on June 5, 1989: a demonstrator stops a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square. The man later became known in the West as "Tank Man".

The Mao Portrait at Tiananmen Square

A visit to the Mao Mausoleum on Tiananmen Square is one of the highlights of a stay in Beijing and should definitely be on your to-do list. Many Chinese tourists come here to honour Mao and to see his embalmed body. The personality cult around Mao is still very much alive here in the mausoleum. Read more about my impressions from the Mao Mausoleum here .

And today?

Mao is still present in today's China, even if the ideological cult has given way to a rather apolitical everyday cult. The souvenir shops offer refrigerator magnets and T-shirts with Mao print. In the hotels, snack bars and restaurants I visited, however, I did not see any Mao portraits hanging. Possibly, the picture broke another record: the most frequently disposed picture in the world. Who knows.

Do you need a break from the big city and want to get some fresh air? Then I can warmly recommend a tr ip to the Great Wall of China near Jiankou. Here you can read my article about a selfguided Hiking Tour on the Wall from Jiankou to Mutianyu.

Book Recommendations for China

You want to know where the journey goes? Then I can recommend these books* about China.

You can order these books at Amazon with a click on the pictures. If you buy a product via one of these affiliate links, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. The product will not be more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to Beijing yourself and seen the Mao portrait in Tiananmen Square? How did you like it? Do you have any questions about my article or any other suggestions? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Recommendations for further Reading

Great Wall of China - Sunrise and Sunset

On the roof of the world with the Lhasa Railway

Der Beitrag Das Mao-Porträt am Tiananmen-Platz erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.

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Tiananmen Square and the Mao Mausoleum are popular tourist destinations today. Thirty years ago, demonstrations were bloodily suppressed on this square. Today, however, nothing points to this frightening event. Many people were killed. China has still not dealt with the incidents. But now the government even intends that the square and the mausoleum should become Unesco World Heritage. Whether the criteria for the application are finally fulfilled, is to be shown until 2030.

The Visit to the Mao Mausoleum

Admission to the Mao Mausoleum is free. Instead of a ticket, however, every visitor can buy yellow carnations. A carnation costs 3 yuan. Usually the visitors buy several. After the security check they go up a wide staircase. To the right and to the left reliefs decorate the stairway to the building. Inside you first enter the anteroom, where you can put down the carnations. On both sides you then walk on a red carpet into the room where Mao's body lies behind glass. His face will be illuminated, it seems bloated. The coffin is decorated with hammer and sickle and with the Red Star. Eight uniformed soldiers make sure that no one is photographed and that they show themselves adequately reverent.

Tip: You are not allowed to take bags into the mausoleum. So we left our backpacks in the hotel. But there are also lockers. However, these are not at the Mao Mausoleum on the Tiananmen Square, but on the opposite side of the street near the checkpoint.

Mao as a souvenir

A visit to Mao Mausoleum Tiananmen Square is impressive. Amazed I walked with a stream of visitors and had difficulties to understand how much the Chinese still worship Mao. And to do justice to this worship and make a business out of it, there are six souvenir shops at the exit behind the Mao Mausoleum. As in many shops in Beijing, you can buy fridge magnets and T-shirts with Mao prints here. But at the stands behind the Mao Mausoleum you can find more of Mao: statues, fans, mirrors, pens, tea service, coffee cups, amulets, plates, bookmarks and so on. Many of the Chinese visitors buy several articles at the same time. And if you want a very personal souvenir, you can have your picture taken by professional photographers in front of the Mao Mausoleum.

Do you need a break from the big city and want to get some fresh air? Then I can warmly recommend a trip to the Great Wall of China near Jiankou. Here you can read my article about a self-guided Hiking Tour on the Great Wall of China.

Book Recommendations for China

You want to know where the journey goes? Then I can recommend these books* about China.

You can order these books at Amazon with a click on the pictures. If you buy a product via one of these affiliate links, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. The product will not be more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to Beijing yourself and visited the Mao Mausoleum at Tiananmen Square? How did you like it? Do you have any questions about my article or any other suggestions? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Recommendations for further Reading

Flag Ceremony at Tiananmen Square

The Mao Portrait at Tiananmen Square

Der Beitrag Besuch im Mao-Mausoleum am Tiananmen-Platz erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.