Unfortunately the Forbidden City is too amazing and all too beautiful to describe with words. So this blog post will be picture and caption oriented! I hope you enjoy it regardless of its lack of text! I had a great time here, and if you ever have a chance to visit Beijing, go!
(One of the seats for the Emperor, just for watching Peiking Opera.)
(Ceremonial crown of the Emperor it weighs 2kg. Which is like 5 pounds-ish.)
(Alleyway in the Forbidden City, long long long!)
(View from the main buildings from a less important courtyard, can you see the smog?)
(With our tour guide. English name: Aleen.)
(Dragon wall, the maker of this wall was only given a limited time by one of the Emperors. Right before the completion date one of the ceramic slabs fell off. Painted wood replicas replaced it, luckily the Emperor didn't find out or it would have been off with the craftman's head!)
(Bedroom of the Dowager Empress, Suxi [su-shi] or Dragon Lady. She ruled for 48 years.)
(An interesting doorway in one of the courtyards that housed the concubines.)
(Beautiful gate coming out of one of the courtyards that housed some of the Emperor's concubines. I think one of thos children in the background is sneaking a picture of me!)
(The back garden. Located behind all the buildings that were used for official business. Here the Emperor and people who were allowed in could stroll around the garden. The last emperor to live in the Forbidden City was the first to begin learning English, he was also the first to ride a bike. His English name was Henry. His wife? Elizabeth.)
(Throne room where all the official business went down!)
(These dragon heads served as gutters, in Ancient China it was believed that dragons breathed water. When it was raining the Emperor would come outside to admire these fountain heads that doubled as gutters. This is all according to our English/Chinese speaking tour guide we hired for 200 yuan.)
(Voila! The Forbidden City! Breathtaking!)
(In front of one of the buildings used for formal ceremonies such as announcing imperial exam results, throwing banquets for officials, etc. From left to right: Diego (from Brazil, also live in Chongqing), Me, and Ms. Ma. The hall behind us is called the Hall of Supreme Harmony. 太和门 tai-huh-men)
(Through one of the gates in the city, note the cieling!)
(After breakfast of beef noodles, we walked a 5-10 minute walk to the entrance of the Forbidden City! I was super excited and my hunger was quelled!)
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