The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, is not so forbidden anymore. You can expect to run into large crowds even during the shoulder season. The destination is very popular among Chinese tourists as well as foreigners. It was interesting to see the Chinese tourists visiting, especially the ethnic minorities who wear colorful clothing. Many of the Chinese visitors wanted to pose for photos with Westerners, and we wanted to do the same, so there were plenty of opportunities for cultural interaction.
A bit of history from Wikipedia:
The Forbidden City is a palace complex in central Beijing, China. The former seat of Imperial Chinese Dragon Throne from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty—the years 1420 to 1912, it now houses the Palace Museum. The Forbidden City served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.
Constructed from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 72 ha (over 180 acres). The palace exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
Since 1925 the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artefacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War. Since 2012, the Forbidden City has seen an average of 15 million visitors annually, and had 16 million visitors in 2016.
We arrived at the Forbidden City on the far side of Tienanmen Square. Security is super tight at this location, not in small part as a result of the infamous protest that happened here several years ago. There is a strong uniform police presence at the square. I am certain that this includes the presence of agents not in uniform. I like to call them "listeners." We accessed the square from a tunnel that resembled entering a subway from across the street. Inside the tunnel was the first security checkpoint we encountered. Our entire group of thirty was able to clear the checkpoint rather quickly. Tourist traffic was relatively light at the time of our arrival early in the day.
We began our tour visiting the various statues, monuments and government buildings that surround the incredibly large (109 acre) square, one of the ten largest in the world. We didn't enter any of the buildings, some of which were guarded by a uniform presence. The uniform officers appeared to avoid having their photos taken, although I did manage to get a few inadvertently. My photos are in chronological order as I walked around the square, prior to our entrance into the Forbidden City.
Monument in front of Mao's Mausoleum
Mao's Mausoleum
Monument to the People's Heroes
Uniform presence interspersed in the crowds
While navigating the square, there are plenty of opportunities for photo ops, gifts and street food. There were vendors hawking about anything you could want. The prices were very reasonable. As this was our second day of touring, I went light with a simple set of postcards (ten for a dollar roughly) and left it at that. We brought water with us, so we did not need to buy anything else while we were walking around. When we were done, our guide purchased our tickets to the Forbidden City and we queued for security again.
There are nearly 1000 buildings inside this complex. The further into the complex ancient visitors went, the closer to the Emperor. The buildings all have the same design, so the photos may look redundant. However, these were taken at different stages inside the massive complex.
Throne in the Hall of Heavenly Purity
Chinese visitors "dressing up" for photos. Vendors rent the traditional garb for photos.
Okay, so we have been walking around for hours. Drinking water to stay hydrated. Inevitably, there is a need to relieve yourself. In China, the bathrooms are affectionately called the Happy House. Unless, of course, they are unhappy houses which is often the case. The tourism bureau rates the restrooms and takes pride at the quality of the restrooms at these well traveled sites. They were very well maintained and given a star rating. No lie. The restrooms at this facility were "four star" happy houses. I took a photo as proof.
Imperial Garden
It took us about three hours to navigate both the square and the forbidden city. It would be easy to spend a full day here. To see both, you need at least two hours. That would be a whirlwind tour. Three hours seemed about the right amount of time to spend here.
Admission:
Admission Fee: CNY 40 (Nov. 1 to the next Mar. 31); CNY 60 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)
CNY 10 for the Treasure Gallery; CNY 10 for the Clock and Watch Gallery
CNY 10 is approximately $1.50. CNY 40 $6.00. CNY 60 $9.00
Opening Hours: (Closed on Mondays)
8:30 to 16:30 (Nov. 1 – the next Mar. 31); tickets not available after 15:30 and last entry at 15:40.
8:30 to 17:00 (Apr. 1- Oct.31); tickets not available after 16:00 and last entry at 16:10.
The tourism administration limits visitors to 80,000 per day. It is advisable to book through a tour group or to get your tickets in advance. Especially during peak season.
All of the photographs in this travelogue are my own. They may be used with prior permission. Some of the photos are a bit blurry from heavy smog.