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THE SUMMER PALACE
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THE FORBIDDEN CITY
Tiananmen Square is the largest in the world. It is a vast desert of paving stones right in the in their eyes and waving the little red book ( a copy of which i have now got). It also has a more recent and regrettable history. The square is flanked by huge halls for CCP meetings, Worker's Cultural Palace, China National Museum and then a giant obelisk in its centre called Monument to the People's Heroes, at the north end is the Mao Memorial Hall, with a giant picture of him set in its centre, the architecture is largely Russian inspired. Statues are heroic in the Socialist realism style. People queue in order to have a photo taken with him in the background.
THE FORBIDDEN CITY
Either side of this is an entrance to the Forbidden City, so called because it was off limits for 500 years. It is the largest and best preserved cluster of ancient buildings in the whole of China. It was the home of the Ming and Qing dynasties, who only left this paradise only if they had to. It is roughly ten times the size of Tiananmen Square! I spent a day walking around it and was completely blown away with it all. Far too much to take in on one visit. Ceremonial buildings, residences, banqueting halls, lounges. Quaint names like: Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Union, palace of Heavenly Purity, Imperial Garden, classical with fine landscaping, rockeries, walkways and pavilions.which. There is also a magnificent museum of clocks.
THE SUMMER PALACE
The Summer Palace is opulent with palace temples, gardens, pavillions, lakes and corridors which was once the playground of the imperial court. Royalty took refuge here in the furnace-like heat of Beijing's summer that roaste them in the Forbidden City. It had been enlarged considerably over the years. One emperor, Quinlong had 100,000 labourers to deepen and enlarge the huge lake which gave a cooling breeze in the hills that overlook it. It is 75% of the Palace area. Both British and French forces tried to damage its buildings in a couple of
campagains. There is the lovely Temple of the Sea of Wisdom tiled with effegies of the Buddha.
The Summer Palace is opulent with palace temples, gardens, pavillions, lakes and corridors which was once the playground of the imperial court. Royalty took refuge here in the furnace-like heat of Beijing's summer that roaste them in the Forbidden City. It had been enlarged considerably over the years. One emperor, Quinlong had 100,000 labourers to deepen and enlarge the huge lake which gave a cooling breeze in the hills that overlook it. It is 75% of the Palace area. Both British and French forces tried to damage its buildings in a couple of
campagains. There is the lovely Temple of the Sea of Wisdom tiled with effegies of the Buddha.
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