QYPE*

Every visitor to Beijing simply must visit the forbidden city (that’s IF they let you in! ho ho ho!). Not that it’s not good - it’s mere vastness and magnitude are awesome in itself (please note that as an English speaker, rather than American, I only use the word ‘awesome’ in its proper sense).

It has recently been renovated so now all the colours are very vibrant. Some may argue that this leaves us without the sense of antiquity but I would disagree as the variety and intricate display of colours only serve to convey the majesty of the imperial palace.

The entrance itself is a series of tall gates separated by vast open courtyards and one has an ever present awareness of the enormous walls surrounding them. Inside the palace complex are roads, compounds, housing units, throne rooms, temples, gardens - literally just like a small city. Only 1/3 of it is open to the public and yet if a determined tourist wished to see it all then they would still need an entire day just to walk around it. However it is very monotonous after a while. All the aforementioned roads, throne rooms, temples etc. do look the same, beautiful as they are. If one is particularly knowledgeable about chinese culture and history then the forbidden city offers plenty of examples which often go unnoticed by the casual tourist - close observations can be made of the different formats of different doorways, the animal sculptures in different courtyards, the calligraphy on display etc. Not only this, the forbidden city (also known as the imperial palace museum) contains many rooms where you can look at old furniture, weapons, clothing, etc.

The only bad thing about the place, one which is sure to get worse, is the endless stampedes of loud, glaring tour groups. Once you’re past the main entrance ways, you can usually go off exploring on your own and get away from them. We should all be pleased to know that the Starbucks operating from within the forbidden city has now been closed down.

One final point to make is that you’re not allowed to take photos of all the military guards that are all over the place. I don’t know what they would do if you did but they do seem to get jolly riled about it when someone tries.

If you’re at the main gates at sunset you can watch the march of the guards to raise the flag in tiananmen square, but this is usually very crowded so I would recommend leaving the forbidden city by the north gate and crossing the road into JingShan Park and climbing the hill in time for senset in order to get the most spectacular view of the city.