Day 50 of 111. Beijing, China
We toured The Forbidden City in Beijing. We entered the South Gate and exited the North Gate and walked about a kilometer in between. The scale of the complex was impressive, but thinking back to the grandeur it must have had when being used really made us think. The colors, the patterns and the shapes gave us things to look at in each direction. Add to this the history and stories told by the guide and you can imagine what a great experience this was.
There was still snow on the ground, the air was cold and the moats were frozen, but at the same time, the snow worked to clear the air of pollution. Notice how beautifully blue the skies were during our visit. The other effect of the cold weather is that I wore my knit cap all the time except for the twelve seconds it took to have my picture taken, so I have “hat hair” in my photos!
Memorable tidbits of information include the three entrances in the gates, the center entrance was for the emperor, the right for his officials and the left for the military. The golden throne for the emperor showed how magnificent he was, but even so, he sat behind a screen so no one saw him. We enjoyed the bronze animals decorating the palace, especially the dragon with his funny expression.
February 24, 2017
Paul Groves