Once, Twice, Three Times a Geek in Beijing

Saturday, the last day in China, we braved the subway to get to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. The subway is usually packed, but this being a Saturday it was merely crowded. The subway train driver honked at me for leaning out to get that second picture.

 

The entrance to the Forbidden City is this gateway with the portrait of Mao. Tienanmen Square is directly behind and across the street from where the entrance is. We didn't ever walk on or through Tienanmen Square but we walked past it a few times.

After walking through the doorway under the portrait of Mao you enter a courtyard which features this tree-lined walkway leading further into the complex.

The Forbidden City was the Emperor's palace as well as a fortress. There has always been a military force here, and that continues today. The huge spaces exude a feeling of power. There is a substantial moat that surrounds the entire complex. The entryways are extremely defensible, such as the Meridian Gate, the main entryway to the outer courtyard.

This is the tower on the left which you can see a sliver of in the photo above.

After walking through the entryway, you enter the outer courtyard. It features a curved extension of the moat, like a river, with a series of five bridges over it. You can see the bridges in one of the pictures below, which is looking back to the entryway from the walkway next to the big building at the end of the courtyard.

We saw variations on these dragon dogs at entrances all over. The one to the right of the entry is male and has a ball under his paw. The one to the left of the entry is female and has a small baby dragon dog under its paw.

In times past, the dragon was the exclusive symbol of the emperor. Any usage outside of the emperor's usage was strictly forbidden. Different symbols of the dragon are painted and carved throughout the palaces.

Finally you come to this third huge area leading to the emperor's throne.

This stone fresco / carving going up the central stairs features some very detailed work and is symbolic of the role of the emperor and his relationship with heaven.

This is one of a series of private gardens behind the main buildings within the city.

Coming outside the wall on the other side of the city  opposite the primary entrance is the wall that surrounds the entire complex. This shot is from the entry/exit in the middle of the wall looking to the right.

And just prior to exiting is this view up to the temple on the hill behind the city. Climbing up allows you to look back down over the Forbidden City. The smog was thick enough that photographs didn't really capture very much. I suppose it lends an air of mystery to it, though.  ;)

Coming down the hill, the surrounding area is a public park. We enjoyed seeing the local people participating in activities like badminton, dancing, and exercising.

I went back to the North Sea area again after visiting the Forbidden City because I was with a different subset of our group this day who hadn't seen it and the old China buildings that surround it. The air had cleared somewhat also.

I risked life and limb on a few occasions during the week to get some interesting shots. This is one of those occasions.

So, there you go. We flew back Sunday morning. I took about 1000 pictures during the week. My colleagues and I are also sharing our photos amongst ourselves, so I will have their pictures also. As already mentioned, I'll bring them along to Thanksgiving and they'll be available for those that want to see them.