CHINESE SQUAT IN FRONT OF CLOSED SHOPS IN FRONT OF THE FORBIDDEN CITY, 1999-03-02 (photo)

Chinese squat in front of closed shops outside the front gate of the Forbidden City next to Tiananmen Square in Beijing March 1. The local authority has shut down all unofficial souvenir shops and restaurants at the tourist attraction in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, in its bid to propel the city back to the purity of the Mao Zedong days. All visible signs and boards along Tiananmen Square will have to be taken down to preserve the solemnity of the landmark, home to Mao's Mausoleum and the People's Heroes Memorial. ASW/CC/CLH/