The Forbidden City

The Vibrant colours of the Forbidden City
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On November 27th, I headed to The Forbidden City, with its main entrance close to Tian'anmen Square. As you walk under the Potrait of Mao, you walk up a long stretch, almost like a giant driveway, towards the Forbidden City's Main entrance, 'The Meridian Gate' (Wumen). Once inside you enter a vast paved court, across which runs the Jinshui He, or Golden Water Stream. The stream is bridged by five marble bridges, each decorated with carved torches to symbolise masculinity.

The Forbiddden City is massive, and has so many little lanes and alleyways, which at times give the impression that it is a never ending maze, full of twists and turns, each with its own individuality in style.

a completely different world...a different sense of wonderment

My house...Forbidden City. Rent costs a bomb!
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The part of the forbidden city that i found most beautiful and impressive was the Imperial Garden, more towards the back end of the Site. When you enter the imperial gardens, it is a completely different world, and gives a different sense of wonderment, in comparison to all of the buildings and colourful architecture that you pass through before reaching the imperial gardens. That is one thing you also notice; just how vibrant the colours of the Forbidden City's buildings are, and the attention to detail is awesome!!

Awesome! (Not a big fan of the word awesome, but im gonna use it here)
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All in all, i would put this in second place in my list of favourite things i have experienced so far in china, although i reckon this might be knocked down the pecking order slightly, once i experience the Terracotta Warriors at Xi'an this weekend (1st, 2nd, and 3rd of Decemeber 2006)