Forbidden City

No trip to Beijing, or China for that matter, would be complete without a visit to the Palace Museum, better know as the Forbidden City. So we headed over there on our first day in the city. Naturally the front gate is adorned with a huge picture of "The Beloved," which is replaced with a fresh copy every year. Inside the first gift shop, in the Gate of Supreme Harmony, they had many different likenesses of Mao at various points in his life that you could purchase. In there I couldn't help but notice that his mole had grown from his youth to old age. And the only reason I mention it is that this particular feature is only faintly portrayed in the visage above. You might say Beijing has gone every so slightly Hollywood.

Wei and I outside the gate.

A more full picture of the gate.

One pretty cool thing that we happened upon was the lowering of the flag. The honor guard marches out from pretty far within the Forbidden City, so we followed them with a bunch of other people, but we got to be right behind and next to them. They weren't always perfectly in step, but they did sing some good songs. Then we had to run out around them to be in Tienanmen Square when they came out and the flag was lowered and stuffed into the flag pole.

You can read more about the Forbidden City at this link http://www.beijingtrip.com/attractions/forbidden/ . I've attached a few pictures of our visit below.

I think this is the main throne. Couldn't get a good picture inside the dark hall.

I believe this picture is from the most important gate, or hall. It's importance can be gauged by the number of "beasts" riding the corners of the eves. There are twelve figures in this picture, but I think one of them is the driver.

That's one tough looking turtle.

And of course no important monument, or gate to a residence, or street corner for that matter, would be complete without heavy-duty looking guards. I think these guys are regular army, but in Beijing they mostly all wear the same green heavy over coats and big fuzzy hats this time of the year.