This is the Forbidden City with Tiananmen Square in the foreground. Admittance is far less strict these days. All you have to do now is buy a ticket; in the old days, the fee was much more serious, especially for males without noble heritage. The characters on the left side of Mao's portrait (中华人民共和国万岁）say "Long live the People's Republic of China". Those on the right （世界人民大团结万岁）say "Long Live the United People of the World".