During our visit to Beijing, we had the chance to visit the Forbidden City. The palace was home to Chinese emperors for around five hundred years or so. It was amazing to think these wooden buildings have been standing since the early 1400′s! It’s currently under construction in part and is being restored to its pre-1912 state, which is when the outer courts were open for public use (or so I read). The inner court is where the emperor lived. Anyway, the parts already restored, are simply beautiful. The architectural detailing was pretty incredible. My pictures do not do it justice.
We entered the city by way of Tiananmen Square. This is the largest city square in the world. And I can attest, yes it’s big. My brother told me it’s also one of the safest areas. There are tons of police there. Some are in uniform, while others are in street clothes.
You’ll notice in the pictures, it was a little rainy. But, that didn’t keep us tourists away! The line to see Mao Zedong’s tomb was insane. We opted not to view.
I was also approached by a Chinese “student”. Apparently, if you look like a tourist (as most Americans do), you’re prime pickings for scams. Oh, and if you tell them you’re from Kentucky, you’ll immediately be associated with Kentucky Fried Chicken. Anyway, we were asked countless times to go with these “students” into rooms to look at artwork. My brother warned me to stay away. I got good at saying no and walking on.
One of my favorite sites, was the basketball court placed in the middle of the city. It was so out of place, but the contrast with the ancient Chinese architecture was really cool. I’m told it’s for soldiers…when they aren’t guarding the palace.
I was amazed by how big the palace was. We didn’t even tour several sections (didn’t want to pay, haha). It has something like 9,999 rooms. They say you should allow three hours for an adequate visit. I’m not sure how long we were there, but we were able to cover a lot of ground. If I have the chance to go again, I think I might want to visit some of the Inner Court rooms, like the Treasure Gallery. And not just because I like treasure. I’ve read that it’s really beautiful and I’d love to see some of the artifacts they have on exhibit. So, until next time…
Up next, I’ll share pictures of our visit to the Olympic sites and to the Temple of Heaven! Stay tuned.
Tags: china, the forbidden city
