Kathy & Paul's Adventures Abroad

Yesterday we went back to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. You can stroll around the first two courtyards free of charge, but to go further into the city costs 60 RMB. Here you can also hire an English-speaking Chinese guide for about 100 RMB ($16). We decided to explore on our own and went inside.

The Forbidden City as we mentioned in another post was the home of many emperors over the past five centuries. It is massive and covers an area of 720,000 square metres, and consists of 980 surviving buildings. Not only was it the home of emperors and their households but was also the ceremonial as well as political seat of Chinese government. In 1987 it was declared a World Heritage Site.

We spent about five hours walking around the city and viewing all the ancient architecture, art work and gardens. The complex was lovely, exciting, historic and intriguing, and expressed well the Chinese tradition of building big, big, and beautiful.

A photo is worth a thousand words and these tell quite a story! Enjoy!