Forbidden City, Beijing, China

On possibly THE COLDEST day of our lives thus far we ventured out of the safety and warmth of our newly acquired apartment to visit China's famous Forbidden City, Imperial Palace of the last Ming and Qing dynasties and quite possibly the most visited tourist attraction in the world. 

John at the entrance 'Meridian Gate' into the Forbidden City

It's hard to describe how cold the morning felt, the sky was a clear blue with hardly a cloud visible! We each donned two pairs of pants, double gloved, extra thermals but then shortly after stepping outside we mutually realised it wasn't really enough. Torn between running back inside to our cozy bed or braving the cold and utilising one of the first blue sky days we've seen yet, we hesitantly walked out our front gate. We decided going by subway would be our best route but then nearly turned back home again after crossing the road and seeing large sheets of ice that had frozen overnight. 

The Court yard in front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony

Entry into the Imperial residence is fairly straight forward- just follow the sea of Chinese tourists through the Meridian Gate over the Tongzi Moat and under the portrait of dictator Mao, past the heavily armed guards, stand in line to grab your tickets, have your bag scanned and your in. In a way we were very fortunate that the cool weather and off season meant there weren't the daily 80,000 visitors passing through. We were fairly early too so once through the strict ticket check we were surprised to see a huge open court yard.

Looking toward the Pavilion of Literary Profanity 

The court yard was surreal, with large parts having not gone through rehabilitation, it is a dangerous and ankle twisting feat to head away from the center path. Imagining the Imperial family being pushed over the rocky terrain in small wooden carriages gives you a bit of a giggle. Crossing the enormous frozen court looms the Hall of Supreme Harmony ..... And once through is the next large cold courtyard. After awkwardly taking out our map, with gloved fingers we decided that it would be best to head in a general straight line. The enormity of the city was overwhelming, surely it would not have be possible to visit all of the areas which are hidden away from the public with in the great walls. By, now we were really starting to get cold, particularly the ends of our fingers. It was a beautiful day and the sun shone glaringly bright across the red and golden roofs but the gave off no heat what's so ever.

After entering the first gate we reach the icy court yard

Stunning stone work depicting dragons

A view of the Hall of Preserving Harmony 

Many people are attracted to the Forbidden City for it's historical significance but also to catch a forlong glimpse of what it may have been like to be a Royal. To walk in the majestic Imperial gardens or to visualize ancient men with long white beards leaning precariously over soft off-white parchment, writing poems about days gone by. 

Outside the Gate of Benevolent Tranquility 

To stand under the windows of the palace and imagine the pale princesses and their consorts staring up to the bright stars on a warm evening sending prayers for a prosperous autumn harvest, the air full with the scent of jasmine. Or the stand off chatter as the feeble, well dressed lords gather in the Imperial halls to commission the new emperor who sits quietly adorned with silks of red and golden yellow, under a haze of essence. The name itself draws tourists alike, Forbidden City; what secrets do you hold so tight? Historically the name derived from the fact that without the Imperial approval no one was able to enter or leave the 180acre grounds.

A significant amount of restoration has been commissioned on the city since 1925 by the Palace Museum. Built from 1405 to 1420 with over 980 rooms by the immense assistance of over 1million workers it was the home for over 24 Emperors and their household as well as the political centre of China until 1912. When, Puyi the last Emperor abdicated.

Walking towards the Palace of Exploring Happiness

What's in the Chamber of Joyful longevity?

As we plodded our way through the network of Temples and Halls our shrinking stomachs growled unmercilessly. Having wished we had the foresight to bring along food there were little options to purchase lunch. This Starbucks cafe we had humorously heard was inside didn't exist and we were left to admire un fondly at the overpriced luke warm and processed pink sausages on a sticks rolling around on stainless steel cookers or tiny bags of flavoured and un satisfying looking puffed chips. Unpleased with our choices we marched on. Time flew by and we got progressively colder.

Outside the golden Gate of Heavenly Purity

Our thighs became numb and our noses burnt, it wasn't fun any more and we were stuck in the middle around the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Didn't feel so heavenly... grumble grumble. Past the Hall of Union and around the Palace of Earth Tranquility we walked. Past the Palace of Obeying the Heaven and the Palace of Expanding Happiness we kept walking.

The Hall of the Imperial Palace in the Imperial Garden

Finally we reached the beautiful Imperial gardens and the Hall of Imperial Peace on the uttermost Northside of the city. This special area was a private retreat for the Royal family and at each of the four corners lies a pavilion representing the four seasons.

In the North East section of the garden is the Gathering Beauty Hill which is an artificial mountain. Here annually the Emperors would climb to the aptly named Pavilion of Imperial view to watch the festivities with their families.

From here it was a brisk walk out of 'The Spiritual Valor Gate' and off to find our very late lunch! Through the cold, we had plodded for over six hours. If only we had known the ginormosity and horrendous scale of the city then perhaps we would have come back another, warmer, day! Even after six strenuous hours, with little feeling left in our extremities, we felt that there was so much more to see.

Tot siens,
John and Kara

Ps. Our hot beef noodle lunch was just fabulous.