The Forbidden City
The van was waiting by the time we got back to the hotel. The ride to the Forbidden City was only a few minutes. We parked and got out. As we walked along the outer wall toward the entrance we were occosted by hawkers. These people were very pushy and threw themselves on you. They didn't really have to go through all this, I was going to buy their postcards anyway. They were very cheap. Only a few Yuan.
The formal main entrance starts at Tianaman Square where the large picture of Mao is, but we entered from a side door where the Meridian Gate is. The first thing I noticed was that all the doors were red with brass studs in them. The Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420. It was burnt down, rebuilt, sacked and then renovated many times in its long history. The city is constantly under reconstruction since the buildings are old and need constant repair. It was the seat of power for five hundred years,
The gate was massive. It is a forty foot, three sided quadrangle court. The walls are red
Meridian Gate and
decorated with artifacts. The roof is yellow glazed tiles. There are three tunnels which are the entrances with walls that are thirty five feet thick. We went through one of the long, dark tunnels. On the other side there was a massive courtyard.
Court of Golden River
I felt like I was walking into a history textbook. This courtyard was called the Court of the Golden River. It's four sides were inclosed by high red walls, colonnaded porches and low buildings. Before us were five white bridges over a moat. The middle bridge is the one the emperor used when he passed by there. The moat is supposedly a river of golden water. As we walked further we came to the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Once we got there we saw some of the art objects that are desplayed there. Then we came upon two great stone lions that guard the gate. It was explained that the male lion on the right has his right paw on a ball. The female lion on the left side of the door has her right paw on a baby lion.
Going through this gate we could see in the distance the Great Hall of Supreme Harmony. This is the place where the emperor had his throne and ruled the country.
Great Hall of Supreme Harmony
The van was waiting by the time we got back to the hotel. The ride to the Forbidden City was only a few minutes. We parked and got out. As we walked along the outer wall toward the entrance we were occosted by hawkers. These people were very pushy and threw themselves on you. They didn't really have to go through all this, I was going to buy their postcards anyway. They were very cheap. Only a few Yuan.
The formal main entrance starts at Tianaman Square where the large picture of Mao is, but we entered from a side door where the Meridian Gate is. The first thing I noticed was that all the doors were red with brass studs in them. The Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420. It was burnt down, rebuilt, sacked and then renovated many times in its long history. The city is constantly under reconstruction since the buildings are old and need constant repair. It was the seat of power for five hundred years,
The gate was massive. It is a forty foot, three sided quadrangle court. The walls are red
Meridian Gate and
decorated with artifacts. The roof is yellow glazed tiles. There are three tunnels which are the entrances with walls that are thirty five feet thick. We went through one of the long, dark tunnels. On the other side there was a massive courtyard.
Court of Golden River
I felt like I was walking into a history textbook. This courtyard was called the Court of the Golden River. It's four sides were inclosed by high red walls, colonnaded porches and low buildings. Before us were five white bridges over a moat. The middle bridge is the one the emperor used when he passed by there. The moat is supposedly a river of golden water. As we walked further we came to the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Once we got there we saw some of the art objects that are desplayed there. Then we came upon two great stone lions that guard the gate. It was explained that the male lion on the right has his right paw on a ball. The female lion on the left side of the door has her right paw on a baby lion.
Going through this gate we could see in the distance the Great Hall of Supreme Harmony. This is the place where the emperor had his throne and ruled the country.
Great Hall of Supreme Harmony
posted by THE REAL MIKE BAILEY at 6:50 PM
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