The Forbidden City, in general
This was the home of the Chinese emperor, his wives, his concubines, and probably many other members of his entourage during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Construction began in 1406 and was completed in 1420, with refurbishments periodically done later. It was the political center of China until the last emperor Puyi's abdication in 1912, amid the political upheaval that eventually settled with the Communist Party in power. Now that we have been here, we want to see the movie "The Last Emperor." Our English-speaking personal guide told us that Puyi was a progressive fellow. Among other things, he had sections of the inner court revamped (or should I say, re-ramped?) to accommodate his daily bicycle rides.
Notice how Mao dominates the front entrance to the former imperial palace. Almost all in the throng outside the palace wanted to have their picture taken with Mao smiling benevolently in the background. To me, having a huge color portrait of him on the palace wall was much more disconcerting than was his huge stone mausoleum across the way on the other side of Tian 'Anman Square. It seemed to me that the palace has been preserved for remembering China before the revolution, long past, and so his prominent photo there seemed out of place. But perhaps many Chinese look upon him as a savior who freed them from the monarchical rule that the palace represents. In any case, he is evidently still revered by many in China.
This was the home of the Chinese emperor, his wives, his concubines, and probably many other members of his entourage during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Construction began in 1406 and was completed in 1420, with refurbishments periodically done later. It was the political center of China until the last emperor Puyi's abdication in 1912, amid the political upheaval that eventually settled with the Communist Party in power. Now that we have been here, we want to see the movie "The Last Emperor." Our English-speaking personal guide told us that Puyi was a progressive fellow. Among other things, he had sections of the inner court revamped (or should I say, re-ramped?) to accommodate his daily bicycle rides.
Notice how Mao dominates the front entrance to the former imperial palace. Almost all in the throng outside the palace wanted to have their picture taken with Mao smiling benevolently in the background. To me, having a huge color portrait of him on the palace wall was much more disconcerting than was his huge stone mausoleum across the way on the other side of Tian 'Anman Square. It seemed to me that the palace has been preserved for remembering China before the revolution, long past, and so his prominent photo there seemed out of place. But perhaps many Chinese look upon him as a savior who freed them from the monarchical rule that the palace represents. In any case, he is evidently still revered by many in China.
The palace was huge, but included several wide open courtyards. Underneath the whole thing lie 15 layers of brick, with the strata laid in opposite directions, to prevent any with evil intent from digging a tunnel under the palace to attack the emperor. It was not as plush as the palaces in Stockholm or Versailles (the only other two we have collectively visited to which we can compare), but the painting was certainly ornate. We benefitted from the recent re-painting done for the Olympics. Not all the buildings had been repainted, so it was easy to see the toll time had taken before restoration.
Mom graciously stayed in the hotel with the boys so they could nap while Dad took us sight-seeing.
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