The palace of the emperor -or the forbidden city
The palace of the emperor also is often called the forbidden city because during 500 it was the residence of the emperors and the "simple people" wasn't allowed to enter.The palace is the biggest and the best preserved site of the ancient emperors time. The area is about 1 km x 1.2 km big and from a close-by hill you can overview it and you notice how big the place is (even though it's a little bit foggy and not very clear).
After entering the big entrance gate the visitor comes to a very enormous place on whichs end he can see one of the numerous big and pompous buildings. This one here was used as a greeting hall.
In front of the greeting hall two big lions made of bronze are guarding the building.
Behind the greeting hall you come to another big place on whichs end you'll find again a similar building which was used for meetings with ministers and for hearings of amassadors.
Inside stands a big throne. Here the emperor was sitting at that time and was listening to the messages and opinions of his following.
Behind the building you come to the next place on whichs end you'll find again another big building...it repeats the whole thing again and again. And each time you come a level higher which means you come closer to the place where the emperor used to live. The higher and more powerful one was the deeper he was allowed to go inside the palace until he reached the gate where just the emperor and the empress and a few eunuchs were allowed to enter.
The eunuchs were employed as servants. Eunuchs were preferred because the could come "too close" to the empress. At that time alot of Chinese castrated their sons in the hope to let them work in the palace which was a big honour for the family because some of the eunuchs were highly esteemed and had a big influence in the decisions of the empire.
Because alot of the buildings look very similar I don't show all of them at this place but instead I show a few details of the different edifices.
A very often seen object is the dragon which has nothing to do with a bad force what alot of foreigners wrongly think but it means luck, nothing else! So simple! Here you see a dragon painted on wood on the ceiling of the entrance hall.
Here a dragon on a pole of a railing...
or chiselled in a wall...
On the roofs there are different warrior and animal figures which are guarding the building and the people who stay inside.
Although I've seen a lot of big and impressive buildings on my trip I have to say that this palace really impressed me alot because it's not only big but also provided with a lof of very nice details. Due to its pompous construction style in my opinion the forbidden city is comparable with the famous Taj Mahal in India.
Beside the forbidden city you can see alot of other nice buildings in Beijing (and not to forget the Great Wall...also see next report), you can't stop goggling. For example you can visit the summer palace where the emperor used to live in the summer...
...or you can see one of the numerous tower-shaped temples.
Well, I think Beijing is a really interesting city. You can discover it for many days and you'll always find new things. Additionally you find a mixture of the old culture and the new modern life style which show you exactly the political and economical situation of China -a country in change!
Because of all this Beijing is my new insiders tip and I think it's possible that I come back to this place one day. I really can recommend it!!!
Nihao from Beijing
Andy
10.06.04, Beijing, China