Forbidden City

Photos cannot prepare a person for the grand imperial palace. It is not really a city but it did house the empire's government and the whole of its court, who rarely left, for 500 years. All who viewed its splendor without an invitation were immediately killed.

The best way to see it (and this is based on my natural assumption that I always do things the best way) it to walk North through the southern end of Tian'en Men Square, Mao's own take on the massiveness of the palace, and head through the iconic Gate of Heavenly Peace, with ol' Mao staring right down at you the whole time. Tian'en Men Square is the largest public square in the world. This is not shocking when you see it, the place is huge! How huge you ask the computer screen? Well, almost one mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. That is a lot of concrete. I wanted a photo of me standing with my arm outstretched to stop a take that wasn't there, but I decided it would be disrespectful. Also, all the military standing around didn't seem like they had much of a sense of humor.

The palace starts after passing under the giant portrait of Mao. Although big, the portrait is the least imposing thing about the Forbidden City. Each gate is bigger tahn the one before. It is easy to feel dwarfed walking through such high doorways. Everything is massive. The photos don't show it, words can't really say it. You just have to see it.

The building up the center are huge. The spaces seem boundless. Building shouldn't be this gargantuan. After the various halls (the emperor's changing room is bigger than most houses), the central axis ends with the divine palace gardens. Towering above them is a giant sculpted rock pile, 20ft high with an inviting pavillion that was sadly closed to public.

After seeing the sites of the center, we moved to the sides. The center buildings alone took three hours to view. We decided to visit the Qing Dynasty's collection of clocks and watches. Most were gift from the imperial powers of Europe, primarily England in the 18th and 19th centuries. It also showcased the fine craftsmen of China as well. The exhibit showed the European influence of the development of clockmaking in China. Wow, I reckon seeing a gallery of clocks sounds dry. Seriously, how interesting can clock be anyway? It was awesome! The clocks were magnificent. The great clockmakers sowed great artistry in welding, wood carving, painting and mechanics. Flowers bloomed with dancing figurines inside. Composers wrote scores that played when the clocks chimed. Timepieces sat atop elephants. There were clocks so big, they had ladders. Sometimes the clocks were so extravagent, it was difficult to even find the timepieces, which could be
smaller than those on a wristwatch. It was highlight of the palace.

We walked around for a few more minutes before employees started shutting ates and herding the crowds out the door. Without realizing it, five hours had passed. We didn't even have a chance to see the myriad of small museums scattered in the outer buildings. We were leaving Beijing that day, so I wouldn't be able to add another day at the palace. Oh well. We still saw a lot.