Forbidden City

So here is Part II of our long day in Beijing.

After returning from the Great Wall, we stopped in for lunch at a famous restaurant. It was suggested by our driver. So, Tim, Li, the driver and I had a nice meal. We had chicken, some vegetables and a couple of soups, along with various other dishes. The first soup was Shizi Tou (Lion’s Head). It tasted a lot like chicken noodle, but it was just a broth with a single large meatball type thing floating in the middle. I was told it was not meat, but it was very good, tasting as if you took all the solid ingredients in chicken noodle soup and mashed them together into a ball. The final soup we had was all broth and is supposed to be good for your health. I had a few spoonfuls and it tasted a little fishy and not too good to me. I asked what it was and Li did not know the English word, tried to describe the animal and we were lost, then he asked the waiter for paper and pen, and of course, he drew a turtle. Turtle soup!

After lunch, we headed downtown and got out of the car in Tiananmen Square. It is impossible to describe the immense size of the square. We were told it can hold 1 million people, and I believe it. On one end of the square is the tomb of Mao. On the other end is the entrance to the Forbidden City. Below is a picture taken from the middle of the square looking towards the entrance to the Forbidden City.



Everything in Beijing seems to be on a massive scale, and the Forbidden City is no exception. I expected a small ancient community with a couple courtyards, but what I saw was a massive community of ancient buildings. The buildings are tall and larger than life and the courtyards are, in some cases, big enough to fit a couple football fields inside. About half-way through, Tim and I were getting tired and wanted to turn around as we realized it would be quite a hike back to where we were dropped off. However, Li, our guide for the day, pushed on. Then we found out that he had smartly told the driver to meet us on the other end of the City so we could walk all the way through without going back. The city just kept going and going and had about 9 courtyards in all. The Forbidden City was where the emperor lived and worked. We were told that it held around 1000 people, and was built during the Ming Dynasty. Below are the photos of our walk through the center of the city. After looking at the map, I noticed that we only saw about 1/3 of the city, an impressive place!

You enter the city under the painting of Mao, look at the people to see the scale

One of the many courtyards, again the tiny people help you to see the massive size

The Emperor’s throne room

Looking back there was a great sunset for photos

More sunset behind a very tall building

Another courtyard

A close up of the lion sculpture made of some kind of metal.

Near the back entrance to the city was a small garden

And Finally, looking back at the city from outside of the back entrance.


Well, I am back in Harbin now after the 13 hour train ride. I will write more about my travels tomorrow. Good night from a frigid Harbin!