My Beijinger Journey: A City Forbidden

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We checked out from our Jundu Villa Hotel and took a taxi to the Forbidden City, which cost us 160 RMB- a good deal as usual fee is around 200 RMB. Then, we checked into our hostel for the following four nights at King's Joy International Hostel (or Hotel, the same building) on Meishi Street near Qianmen subway station. It was 50 RMB per bed, per night for a six-bedroom dorm with air-conditioning and hot shower. This post will be divided into several parts, flowing as a suggested itinerary. It is amazing to note that the Qianmen Gate, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park lie on a central axis, 0 degree North, and further up is the Olympic Park! How greater can this be?

The zero north plaque.

Tiananmen Square
It is a large square today (enlarged several times in the past). In fact, it is one of the largest squares in the world and walking from one end to another could take some time. This square is located in front of the Forbidden City and got its name from the Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) that lies to its north. At its center is the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. No admission fee, the hall is open from 8am to 12pm to allow visitors to pay respect to Mao Zedong and see his body. It is a popular tourist attraction and we took turns to visit the Mausoleum since no bags were allowed in and the queue to bag storage was long. Security to visit the Mausoleum was tight- walking through scanners and being checked like at an airport. There was an incident where one visitor wanted to take photographs inside but was caught by a guard. The guard asked him to leave but he denied taking photos, even showing the guard his handphone that there were no picture taken. Convinced, the guard allowed him to continue. The queue was long but moving, at tortoise pace. Flowers were sold outside. At the first entry was a statue of Chairman Mao and those who bought flowers placed them in front of his statue. Slowly walking further into the Mausoleum was where the body was laid. I could not stop; we kept moving slowly, all taking a look, and then left at the exit. That took me about half an hour.
Statue before the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.

There are other sites to see around Tiananmen Square. On the east is the National Museum of China (we did not enter though), almost center is the Monument to the People's Heroes, nearby is the Beijing Railway Station and to the south is the Qianmen Gate. There were two giant screens showing montages about China, the square is beautified with blooming flowers, and at the north of the square is the flag post. Witness the flag rising at sunrise every early morning and flag lowering at the end of the day. We were there early for the flag lowering and lingered around the square, in the midst of the crowd. Flag lowering was around 7.30pm when we were there. All our eyes were fixated on the marching guards across the road into the square and at the flag when it was lowered. It was not much to see and i suppose that the morning flag rising would be a better watch- if you can wake up on time.

 Qianmen Gate at the south of the square.

The National Museum of China in sight.

The Beijing Railway Station nearby.

Tiananmen Square during sunset.

The Monument to the People's Heroes.

Flag lowering ceremony.

Many profound events happened on this square in the past and in recent times, making it a significant site in Beijing and in China. Some of the infamous events include the May Fourth Movement in 1919, the proclamation of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong in 1949, the protest in 1976 after the death of premier Zhou Enlai and the protest in 1989, and national mourning in 2008 for the Sichuan earthquake disaster.

Flowers decorating the square.

Getting to the Tiananmen Square is relatively easy by subway. Take the Subway Line 2 to Qianmen Station, or the Subway Line 1 to Tiananmen East or West Stations. Entrance to the square is free but we could not enter between the flag lowering and flag rising times (night to morning). After seeing the flag being lowered, the guards asked us to leave the square in a predefined direction and exit. Entry to the square also required some security check and guards were seen on patrol. This historic square was a good place to visit in the day and at night when the lights are lit.

Security check before entering the square.

Forbidden City (Gu Gong)
After the Tiananmen Square, we walked north towards the Forbidden City, another must-visit place and a UNESCO World Heritage site in Beijing. We were there on a Tuesday and it was crowded from the main gate to the ticket booth of the Forbidden City. Normal price was 60 RMB, student price was 20 RMB- always bring your student card to get discounts. Without wasting much time, we quickly went in and were astonished by the magnitude of this protected city.

At the main entrance to the Forbidden City.

An open space inside.

With one of the lion statue.


Forbidden City, surrounded by a man-made moat, is literally translated also as the Purple City, where 'Purple' refers to the North Star and in traditional Chinese astrology was the heavenly abode of the Celestial Emperor. The 'Forbidden' comes from the fact that some parts of the City is forbidden and  no one could leave or enter the palace without prior permission from the emperor. This City displays a true significance to the imperial Chinese, used during the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. This Forbidden City was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Palace Museum is located inside the Forbidden City, along with other interesting sights such as the Halls and the large stone carving. It is also listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. A good 4 hours should be spent indulging on the history and admiring the preserved artifacts.

It is a one way direction in the Forbidden City, meaning that there is one entrance at the south and one exit at the north. Subway is rather far from the north gate exit and it was crowded at the bus station. Be sure where you are heading and get proper, legal public transportation back.

The Large Stone Carving is 16.75 m long. 3.07 m wide, 1.7 m thick and weighs over 200 tons!

Dragon and phoenix carvings along the poles on the staircase.

Growing up watching Chinese dramas, i got to see one of the halls for real. This is the throne of the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

Another is the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Some interesting artifacts seen in the galleries. On the left is a Rhinoceros Horn Cup, in the Qing Dynasty.

 More on display. On the right is a Jade Standing Figure, from the Han Dynasty. It is tiny.

Another carving placed on the stairways. Seen are the clouds and dragons, symbolic to the Chinese imperial times.

Near the exit is a garden. Notice the crowd?

Done with exploring and learning about the Forbidden City, we exited. The next destination is just across the road and the target is on the top of the hill.

Jingshan Park
This park is also known as the Prospect Hill and it was created using the soil dug from building the moat around the Forbidden City and nearby lakes. The entrance fee was 10 RMB. It was getting cloudy when we were there so we decided to hike up to the peak first. So much walking and climbing, this hike was relatively easy and soon, we were on the top of the hill, overlooking the Forbidden City and seeing the entire Beijing city in vicinity.

Beautiful rows of flowers around the park.

Taking a breather before the climb to the top.

One of the reasons i came to this park was the climb to the peak, and the climb to the peak was well worth the effort. Breezy at the top, i sat and enjoyed the view of the Forbidden City from above. 

I could almost see the City built in perfect symmetry, on a central axis. Amazing. 

 See the 180 degree South and the Forbidden City in the background. After enjoying the peak, we headed down and explored the park.

One of the highlights is this tree, the tree Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself.

After the Jingshan Park, you can opt to visit the nearby lakes and parks like the Beihai Park or the Houhai Lakes. We were tired and decided to skip these.

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