BEIJING
THE ASIAN SERIES PT13
After previously forgetting my passport I was ready to check out the Forbidden City, an incredible palace complex in the middle of Beijing.
I will be the first to say after travelling around Asia for 4 months that temples no longer excite me but this was different. I did wonder what was so special about this place as soon as you walk through the gates you get it. There are over 980 buildings built over an area of 180 acres.
It was the home of the Chinese Emperors for many years as well as the government for over 500 years, it is truly an incredible place! Since 1925 it has been in control of the Palace Museum who displays artefacts from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Forbidden City and Hutongs
JINGSHAN PARK
The place was incredibly busy and would be extremely stressful to see everything! The best place to view the city is from Jingshan Park at the back, where there are few tourists, something uncommon anywhere in China, let alone Beijing!
Here you can enjoy a view of the entire city and where (again like most of china) you get an idea of scale! If you don’t have enough time to explore the city then I would recommend just to head straight to the back for the view, its something else!
RELATED READ: MY FIRST AND FAVOURITE BUNGEE
HUTONGS
Tina had recommended to take a walk around the Beijing Hutongs which are traditional narrow streets yet mainly unaffected by tourism. They date back to the time of the Yuan Dynasty in the 14th Century and peaked with around 6000 in the 1950s.
However as they tend to be found in the city centre, more and more are falling victim to the development across much of China A great opportunity to get away from the crowds.
FORBIDDEN CITY:
- 980 buildings
- A million workers
- 180acres / 72 Hectares
- 14 years to construct
Forbidden City and Hutongs
NEXT UP
The Summer Palace later today. Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
31/229
This episode is part of The Asian Series. Click to view episode1.
