Crazy Filled Days

Sorry we haven’t updated the blog for the past few days; we’ve been really busy touring around Beijing which was so much fun! We got so lucky with our choice of hotel because there are so many attractions within walking distance which has made it so much easier to get around. I put a map in the last blog post (if you haven’t seen it yet).

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So our first stop was the Forbidden City, which is actually right across the street from our hotel. It was CNY 40 ($6.25 CAD) which is a really good price for the size of the site. It was known as the Forbidden City because everyone was forbidden to enter unless you had full permission from the Emperor himself to enter into the city. The Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420 and consists of 980 different buildings (you can’t visit every one) and it covers a total of 7,800,000 sq ft. You’re probably thinking “wow that’s really big, it must be easy to get around right”? WRONG!!!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people in one place; so definitely keep that in mind if you visit the Forbidden City because I wish we had known that. The only way to avoid the crowd is to go early in the morning, right when it opens.

The Forbidden City was actually used to house the Emperor and his family while he was in rule. Just imagine it: living on a property bigger than Disneyland and California Adventure Park put together! I don’t think I would ever have an issue with that. It was also used as the ceremonial and political centre of China during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The city was split into 2 sections; the Outer Court (Front Court) and the Inner Court (Back Palace). The Outer Court, which is the southern part of the city, was the area used for political and ceremonial services. The Inner Court, the northern part of the city, was where the Emperor and his family were housed. In 1987, the Forbidden City was declared as a UNESCO World heritage Site.

A. Meridian Gate
B. Gate of Divine Might
C. West Glorious Gate
D. East Glorious Gate
E. Corner towers
F. Gate of Supreme Harmony
G. Hall of Supreme Harmony
H. Hall of Military Eminence
J. Hall of Literary Glory
K. Southern Three Places
L. Palace of Heavenly Purity
M. Imperial garden
N. Hall of Mental Cultivation
O. Palace of Tranquil Longevity

City view - North

Meridian Gate

We entered the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate which is the main entrance. We walked through the whole city, but our 3 favourite buildings on the property were the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Gate of Supreme Harmony and the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Below are some notes on each building:

Hall of Supreme Harmony
• Largest building within the city
• Located north of the Gate of Supreme Harmony
• One of the largest wooden structures in all of China
• Place of royal weddings for the Emperors

Gate of Supreme Harmony
• Second major gate in the city
• Located south of Harmony Square and the Hall of Supreme Harmony
• Central stairway was only used by the Emperor

Palace of Heavenly Purity
• Largest of the 3 halls in the Inner Court
• Served as the Emperor’s audience hall where he held council meetings
• Also used as the residence of the Emperor and his family

After we were done walking through the Forbidden City, we headed back out of the Meridian Gate and down to Tiananmen Square located right next to the Forbidden City. We first stopped at the Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) which separates the square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is mainly just used as a meeting place for rallies and city wide meetings. Flanking the square to the west is the Great Hall of People and the National Museum of China on its left. We didnt have time to stop into these 2 buildings but it was still nice to walk through a large open sqaure and just look at the beauty of the buildings surrounding the area.

Panorama View of Tiananmen Square

(All photos and info from wikipedia.com)

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I was so beyond excited for our next stop that day: the Beijing Water Cube Water Park. For anyone who doesn't remember; the Water Cube was built for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and was the site of all the swimming and diving events. Since the Olympics ended, they have transformed the inside into a huge indoor water park. The entrance fee into the water park was CYN 200 ($31.25 CAD) which to be honest is a great price for the amount of things you can do within the water park. (Below is an overview map)

The Water Cube Water Park has a total of 5 large water slides, a wave pool, a kids pool, a ridehouse (water jets, cranks, etc.), a lazy river (definitely a favourite for us) and a stage where they have different performances 3 times a day.

3D Renderings of the Water Park

Wave Pool

(All info and pictures from Water Park Website)

This was definitely a great way to end our day in Beijing. After we dried off, we grabbed a taxi back to our hotel so we could have dinner. That night we decided on a western dinner, since we had Chinese for lunch.