Hi everyone! Welcome back to Day 2 Part 1 of the Beijing travelogue!
Fair warning, this is a picture heavy post because of how huge the Forbidden City is.
It was on the top of my bucket list to visit the Forbidden City because
I'm a huge fan of Chinese history about the palaces and such.
I'm happy to report that I was blessed with the opportunity to strike it off my bucket list!
This was how we made our way there from our hotel, Grand Mecure in Beijing.
Turn right upon exiting the hotel and walk
straight till reaching Exit H or E of Xidan Station 西单站. Take Line 1 at
Xidan Station西单站heading towards Sihui East and alight in 2 stops (~4mins) at Tian’anmen
East Station 天安门东站. Take Exit A and arrive.
Caution for first timers there:
You have to queue for
tickets (don’t get cheated by touts selling you tickets saying you don’t need
to queue). The official tickets have to come from the official queue.
The Forbidden City is connected to Tiananmen Square. It is extremely crowded because this is a popular tourist spot and countless tour groups visit this place. It's rare that you'll
be able to take photos without any other visitors around. However, I was
just so psyched and thrilled to be there that this did not bother me.
 |
| Large crowds heading into Tiananmen Square 天安门广场 |
 |
| Decided to stop for a bite to eat before we went on the really long tour. There is only this one place at the entrance of the Forbidden City for you to fill your tummies. Also, while there was a menu up there on the wall, they were only serving steamed buns. Like, only steamed buns. |
 |
Menu of so many items but they only sold buns >.<
No complaints since the buns were so good though |
 |
| Bag of steamed buns! |
 |
| The steamed buns are sold by the bags. Everyone was eating this because it was the only thing sold. Thank goodness it was really yummy though! The skin was so thin, yet did not break easily. The fillings were also piping hot and packed full of flavour. |
 |
| Once we were done consuming some insanely delicious steamed buns, it was time to head in. You would have to queue under the sweltering heat to purchase your tickets. Once again, please do not buy the tickets from touts just to save yourself time queueing. There are many cheats out there whose tickets are fake. |
 |
| Very magnificent looking. There are basically queues everywhere. Queues to enter, for tickets, and all that. Don't fret too much and simply enjoy your time there. Take in the sights and sounds and allow yourself to soak in the atmosphere and environment that once belonged to the Emperors of China. |
 |
According to the engineering standards relevant in the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911) , there were three kinds of arrangements for the
gilded ornamental knobs on each of the double doors of the Forbidden
City, ranging from 81 (nine rows of nine knobs) , 49 (seven rows of
seven knobs) to 25 (five rows of five knobs). These knobs symbolised three
different ranks, of which nine was the highest.
http://www.beijing-tours.cn/forbidden-city/door-knobs-mystery.html |
 |
| Most of these tiles have not been replaced since the palace was first built all those years ago. It's amazing to be so close to history. |
 |
| Amazing how these architects/builders of the past could manage to create something so magnificent. |
 |
| Haha this tourist was hilarious. Typical white person's idea of what it means to be "Chinese" I believe. This would probably be a better pose for a Shaolin temple though. |
 |
| Intricate carvings and engravings showing both the dragon and phoenix which are said to be auspicious animals in Chinese culture. |
 |
| Traditional Sun-dial - overlooked by most tourists who are trying to walk around quickly and escape the sweltering heat. |
 |
| More dragons, and not just for decorative purposes. These are actually subtle drainage systems which allow water to drain from that level to the lower tier. |
 |
This is one strong grandpa. The stairs at the Forbidden City are so steep and uneven, with many older folk having difficulties climbing up. However, he managed to carry his grandchild on his sturdy shoulders.
 |
| Stopped for some refreshing drinks (sold somewhere in the middle of the Forbidden City) |
|
 |
| Exploring the various palaces. Yes there are various palaces within this huge cluster. |
 |
| The place I was very psyched to visit. This is the palace of Emperor Yongzheng, the fourth son of Kangxi who was actually one of the most successful emperors despite his short reign. Effective how you may ask? He took a hard stance against corruption and focused on improving the lives of the people. His succession to the throne is still a hotly disputed topic because many believe his blood brother, the thirteenth prince, was the chosen heir instead. |
 |
| The Yongzheng Emperor's favourite flower was the lotus and thus, you can see countless lotus murals around his palace. |
 |
| Barriers are placed here because they want to preserve these original artifacts. Hence, the best way is to prevent visitors from getting their grimy hands all over these treasured items. |
 |
| Clear sign of how aged these buildings are. |
 |
| Apologies for the grainy photos. Had to constantly change my camera settings in the hopes of capturing anything. |
 |
| Where my favourite emperor sat. |
 |
| Amazing how all these structures have stood the test of time. |
 |
| The living quarters were completely sealed off and you could only glimpse them by peering through tinted glass windows. I captured the following photos by pressing my camera lens against the glass. |
 |
| Headed to the next section of the Forbidden City to continue exploring. There are seats around so take a rest if necessary! The heat from the unforgiving sun can be really draining! |
 |
| More lotus flowers |
 |
| The extent of how high these rocks are. The royals were said to have studied in that structure above. |
 |
Goodbye Forbidden City. Thank you for being the top item on my bucket list.
A day well spent for sure. |
 |
| Peaceful waters at the back of the palace. |
Verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDProbably my bias speaking here but if it is your first time in Beijing, you should definitely take the time to come to this remarkable landmark. Chinese history buffs most certainly should not miss out on this experience. The paths and steps are really old and uneven so please ensure that you are equipped with comfortable and suitable footwear. If you are headed here in summer, pack a cap as well as bottles of water because it is really hot!
That's all for this post. Thanks for bearing with the overexposed photos (my apologies!) but I hope it gave you a great insight into the beautiful world of Chinese history which I stepped into.
Stay tuned to my next post where Mum and I checked out the "Bird's Nest" aka the Olympic Stadium of 2008.
Till then,
Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V
