Once Forbidden

Can I tell you...about Beijing. First of, I have to divide this post into 2 or 3 sections because there are way too many photos I want to share with you. I've narrowed them down to my favorites but there's still a lot. So I'll start with the Forbidden City.
Ever since I saw the movie "The Last Emperor" I've dreamt of seeing Beijing and the Forbidden City (Gu Gong in Chinese). Actually, my fascination for all things Chinese started when I was young and I saw a photo of my great grandfather who came from the Fujien province. My grandfather inherited his yellow silk robe and I used to wear it everytime I visited and it was the softest silk I had ever worn. Ever since then I've been trying to make some sort of connection with my roots. I find myself drawn to all things Asian as a matter of fact. The embroideries, wall designs, patterns and colors. So rich in history and symbolism. There's always a deeper meaning to everything and it adds to the mystique of the exotic East.
It is truly a city within a city. It's majestic, sprawling and intimidating. It is the world's largest palace complex covering 74 hectares, surrounded by 6 meter deep moat, a 10 meter high wall and 9,999 buildings. Imagine back in the day in the Qing Dynasty, there were thousands of concubines living within these walls at the same time. Some of them never even got to meet the emperor their whole life. Their BFFs were eunuchs. It must have been like a scene from "Desperate Housewives" or "Dynasty" but everyday of their lives!

There are temples everywhere, private residences where the favorite concubines held court, gardens, libraries, you name it, they had it. Just visiting someone in the southern section or the Outer court must have taken hours especially if you had bound feet which all women had at that time.
I was particularly thrilled by the names of the temples and halls. Here are some examples: Palace of Heavenly Purity, of Eternal Spring, of Earthly Tranquility, of Kindness and Tranquility, of Mental Cultivation, Hall of Great Supremacy, of Celestial Union and Gate of Military Eminence. Don't you just love these names?
The largest structure after the main entrance was being restored for the Olympics so that was unfortunate, but I still managed to experience the grandeur and the magnificence of this World Cultural Heritage site that was once forbidden to the outside world. We exited the Palace unto Tiananmen Square. It was late in the afternoon and I still needed to hit the famous Panjiyuan flea market. That's next.