Forbidden City in Beijing

After a long train journey, I had finally arrived in Beijing. First thing on the list was to get some food. I had hoped to casually sweep through the food court like Anthony Bourdain, but my noodles were awful and I felt more like John Hurt in movie “Alien”, just waiting for the chestburster to appear.

Refueled and ready, I was eager to explore the city. As most large cities, Beijing can be noisy and confusing. I noticed that since Chinese is a tone language, they tend to talk very loud which can be a pain when you’re tired after a long journey.

Through a hutong in Beijing.

I quickly got lost in the traditional hutong alleys. During the last 50 years a lot of the hutongs have been demolished to make way for modern buildings.

The simple hutongs makes for a harsh contrast to the most famous area of the city. We passed through the Tiananmen gate beneath the famous portrait of Mao and entered the Forbidden City.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony in Forbidden City, Beijing.

The compound is built on an enormous scale, like a city within the city. The walled area of the former imperial palace is where the emperor ruled the empire uncontested for 500 years until 1912. Common people were not allowed inside the area.

Guardians at Forbidden City, Beijing.

The Forbidden City claims to have over 800 rooms, so I didn’t feel bad to miss some of them. I especially enjoyed the rooftops which were decorated with mythological creatures in a very orderly fashion.

I sat down in the Imperial Garden for a cup of tea, resting my legs. I look around the tranquil area in wonder, thinking about what a privilege it is to be able to sit here at all.