wake me up before you go-go to Tiananmen Square

Realizing we had just over a week to cram in everything we'd yet to do in Beijing, we decided to take advantage of our last Sunday and wake up in the wee hours of the morning and journey to Tiananmen Square to see the flag raising ceremony.

The night went a little something like this:
12:00 AM: bed
4:00 AM: first alarm
4:15 AM: snooze alarm
4:30 AM: miraculously hailing a taxi
5:00 AM: arrive at Tiananmen

After we arrived, we waited around the square for the ceremony to begin. The flag raising is much like the changing of the guards in London; Chinese military honor guards march to raise the national flag at sunrise every morning. The crowd was dense, allowing for minimal visibility. There were thousands of people, but we were among the only foreigners in attendance. The great sense of nationalism was almost tangible in the early-morning sun as the flag ascended the pole with the national anthem trumpeting in the background. The ceremony was short, and after it ended, we made no delay in heading home.

Opting for the inexpensive route home, we trekked to the subway and practically sleep-walked through our transfers and back on the bus to campus. Needless to say after only four hours of shuteye, we spent the morning catching up on sleep.

It was a truly authentic Chinese cultural experience, a must-do if you're ever in Beijing, but not one I'd recommend repeating.