The feeling walking into the Forbidden City was intense. I am an American, a Westerner walking the halls of what was once not only once forbidden for many of the Chinese People, but especially to foreigners. Although the area is now protected as a World Heritage Site and has been open to tourists for a better part of a century walking the paths that the empress Cixi (a personal fascination of mine) might have once waled herself as well as 24 other emperors sent chills down my spine.
I entered the city via Tian' AnMen Square.
Once beyond the gates my group broken up and was given headsets. Out of the corner of my eye a small crowd of people drew my attention. Curiosity took the better of me and a friend and I ventured over to find that people were dressing up like emperors and empresses to have their picture taken. There was a small fenced off area that we were taken into and got to choose the robes and headdress that we wanted to wear. I almost felt like a true empress by all of the people who were fawning over us to help us dress. From there we were lead over to four different area (one was a throne, and the other some sort of gate) for our picture. I suddenly realized that we were rushed ahead of a line waiting to get their pictures taken and that a very large crowd had now gathered around the gate not signing up for pictures, but to take our pictures. Once we ready to undress a lady explained that it was exciting to see someone with our "skin color and hair color" to dress up in traditional costumes and that we had drawn a crowd. We didn't know what to think to sure felt like rock stars.
The buildings that make up the palace are beyond description and were even set up to the principles of Feng Shui. Everything is on display here from the Emperor' s robe room in the Hall of Middle Harmony to the banqueting hall in the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The halls are all breathtaking, but without knowing the history behind them they all being to run together. Luckily I had a self guided tour head set that explained everything that I was looking at; a bit dry, but very informative. The Imperial Garden, towards the end, was a huge surprise to come across. It's rather small, but beautiful.

Somewhere a long they way we met with a scam. "Students" pulled us to a side building where we were able to look at "original art work." Weary of the paintings and their high prices I politely refused, but my friend fell in love with a few pieces. Together we negotiated the price down for a set of four and left only to find that another "student" a little later had that same four "original" artworks for sale.
When we reached the end we found that there was a mix up with the bus and that there was some time to kill. I took this opportunity to explore a small gift shops full of souvenirs. I bypassed most, but couldn't resist a small doll dress in the same traditional costume that I was photographed in only hours before. Still with some time left we gathered our group of 60 students and teachers together for a photo. This turned out to be the highlight of the day. While taking the picture several Chinese tourists stopped to take our picture as well. Then two Chinese boys jumped in the picture with us so that they could have their picture with us opened a flood gate. After about thirty minutes of picture taking my group was soon out numbered with more Chinese then Americans in the picture. Our bus pulled up ending the fun, but leaving the best memories ever.

As you approach the Forbidden City, it quickly becomes apparent that this is not just any palace. It is an expansive maze of buildings, courtyards, and built for the exclusive use of the Emperor and his family. When I say it is a maze, I really mean it. With the modern conversion of the palace into a tourist site it has become an even bigger maze with the map showing all the corridors, but many of the corridors closed off with no indication on the map that they are. We walked on the side corridors for almost an hour trying to find the gardens marked on the left side of the map (I think they were the Ming Gardens), but never located them. Not sure if we just failed at navigating or if they were behind the closed doors. It certainly made me feel like part of the palace was still forbidden.


We had less than 2 hours to explore the Forbidden City. That is barely enough time to see everything that lies just on the central axis. Even though during this visit some of the buildings were under renovation. It was kind of funny to see the buildings hidden using a barrier that had the building painted on it, as it is supposed to look after renovation. It seemed almost like you were actually looking at the real building and not just a life size picture.

My favorite part of the Forbidden City was the Imperial Gardens, the garden we actually found. Somehow I did not see them my first time I visited 2 years ago. Now it seems impossible that I missed them, so I am thinking I do not remember them the first time because we were rushed even faster through the Forbidden City. The garden is full of plants; including ancient cypress trees, stone mosaic pathways, Chinese style architectural gazebos, and elaborate rock gardens. Walking the somewhat deserted paths of the gardens is where I felt the closest to the place’s history of being the place reserved for only the privileged few. Relax in the peacefulness of the gardens before you exit the Forbidden City and struggle through the mass of street vendors eager to sell their wares to any passing tourist. From my experience in China I found the exit of the Forbidden City the place where the street vendors are to put it nicely most persistent.

There is clearly no point writing about the Forbidden City without quickly making it explicitly clear that the place is stunning. The first taste of this comes without even getting remotely close to the gates. I remember being struck as I wandered through Tiananmen Square and saw the vast paved area stretch away to the red facade of the city. Then as I got closer I was simultaneously impressed, awe-struck, and amused by nthe giant portrait of Mao that hangs above the entrance; the size and position gave it a dominating effect, but I could not help but chuckle at the large mole on his chin. For a man with such power, it seemed strange to me that he didn't get the artsiot to gloss over the little blemish.Once inside, the delicately poised architecture of the wooden buildings are genuinely captivating, especially as recent rennovations have seen everything repainted, giving the colors a whole new edge. The downside of that though was that when I visited, large areas of the complex were out of bounds.I have to say that my favorite area of the whole place is the Imperial gardens at the far north end of the city—the final thing on any standard tour. They are filled with small pagodas nestled amongst large, imposing, and decidedly antiquated looking trees. Despite the beauty of the gardens though, I am unsure whether I enjoyed them because of their relaxing green atmosphere or for the fact that they represented something of a change. This may sound like the observation of a Philistine, but if I am honest after half an hour or so in the Forbidden City, all of the buildings began to blend into one. As stunning as it is, it seems to me that ancienty Chinese architecture is distinctly samey.I left the Forbidden City feeling culturaly stunted, asking myself how I could have got bored at such a beautiful place. However, after visiting the Temple of Heaven the next day and the Summer Palace later in the week, I began to see I may have been onto something. Then again maybe I should learn to apprecaite culture a bit more.

What person would come to Beijing and not visit the Forbidden City? Certainly not me! Set aside a few hours to cover the ground, because if you’re like us, you will not want to rush. We entered from the Tianamen Square entrance, looked down on by the benign and highly revered face of Chairman Mao. Admission is a mere HK$40 and well worth the money. I’d suggest you avoid the self-appointed guides, who will try to convince you that the trip will not be understandable unless you employ them, and enjoy a straightforward wander through this vast palace. You can do no other than follow your nose, and all the buildings and scenic areas have comprehensive explanatory plaques in both Chinese and English.

I really wanted to think that this was a city built in the 1400s, but in reality, most of the buildings are post-18th century. Certainly the site is original, but most of the buildings were regularly destroyed by fire (accidental or intentional), and the massive "fire buckets" that circle the buildings would have proved totally inept for dousing the flames. Despite the rebuilding, it’s really not too difficult to imagine the privileged lifestyle that was enjoyed by the emperor and his chosen ones. I’m not sure I’d go for the life of a eunuch, despite the fact that the chief eunuch was highly valued by the emperor.

We gazed at the wonderful workmanship that had ensured that every minute detail had been created in perfection, and I shall never forget the comment we heard as we were looking at one of the emperor’s rooms. I was admiring the decorations and intricate carving on one of the emperor’s thrones when a loud voice remarked, "It’s just a chair. What more can you say!" The same person was probably dismissive of the giant carving that had been dragged to the city on a bed of ice – no mere feat in my view.

All the buildings in the complex had a dedicated purpose, and many are in the process of being restored to their former glory. Although this can detract from the splendour of the Forbidden City, we could not help but admire the diligence of the workforce as they used simple tools to rebuild parts of this precious heritage. The roofs of the important buildings, bordered with no less than 10 figurines and colourful patterned ceilings supported by decorated pillars, were the features of the buildings. Outside, on the ornate terraces with their vast sundials and incredible statues, we had commanding views of the courtyards and a preview of the next impressive building.

We were impressed with the imperial gardens on the northwest and northeast of the complex. They were prefect reflections of each other, and the twisted trees, curvaceous walkways, and "perilous hills" gave a surreal feel to the place. Ornate pagodas were built over gently flowing streams, and despite the crowds, it was still possible to find a quiet haven.

The mysterious Forbidden City, a place of cultural pride for the Oriental world, was once known for its refusal of foreign visitors in the 19th century, which is kind of ironic today when hoards of tourists, tour guides, and Chinese flock en masse into the city walls from which their ancestors were once denied.

The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court, was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court, was where he lived with his royal family. Until 1924, when the last emperor of China was driven from the Inner Court, 14 emperors of the Ming Dynasty and 10 emperors of the Qing Dynasty reigned here.

Having been the imperial palace for some 5 centuries, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions worldwide. A definite must-see!