Beijing - Part 1

Baru-baru ini, sempena cuti musim panas, kami berkesempatan ke Beijing, China. Itulah kali pertama kami menjejakkan kaki ke Tanah Besar China, benua terbesar yang mempunyai lebih 1 billion penduduk dan lebih 20M populasi di ibu negaranya, Beijing. Pertama kali jugak kami mengambil pakej penuh dimana kesemuanya diuruskan oleh pihak agensi. There were pro and con with this arrangement (i.e. full package) as part and parcel of travelling. Alhamdulillah, it was a good trip.

We arrived at the Beijing International Airport around 1am. Yes, pagi-pagi buta. Upon arrival, our private tour guide, Thomas was waiting for us, holding an A4 paper with hubby's name on it ;)

On the next morning, our 1st itinerary started a bit late.  Around 11am, Thomas and the driver, Mr. Dee came and fetch us from the hotel. We stopped for an early lunch at one of the Muslim restaurants on the way to the famous tourist spots, Tianamen square and forbidden city. It was a bright sunny day and also a bit humid. In summer, it's advisable to wear appropriate attires, a pair of good walking shoes, cap/ hat, sunglasses and to bring along the bottled water to avoid dehydration. 

Forbidden city covers a large area (*720,000 m2) within enclosed wall consists of two sections, outer and inner courts. Within the enclosed area, there are several gates which I think, were previously built for security and privacy reasons. Passing through few earlier gates, there are almost similar looking buildings in a square arrangement but we didn't go further till to the other end (inner court). The pathways within the forbidden city were made of stones which retain heat during summer made the temperature inside the place felt double than the ambient temperature. Despite of scorching hot day, we were elated to stroll and look around the existing buildings which were built so many years ago during the Imperial Dynasties (*They were built in 1400s during Dynasty Ming & Qing).

Imagine of the massive resources required and the hardship of local people involved during those time in order to construct the forbidden city. What remains today is part of their history...

Let the pics do the talking :)

This is the entrance to the Forbidden city, Meridian Gate.

Entering the Meridian Gate, there are 5 bridges cross the meandering water stream next to it. We were briefed by our tour guide that the bridge used by the emperor was prohibited to be used by others, even the family members. There were dedicated bridges for empresses, royal children, royal families and commoners. I guess, the imperial customs made things complicated. No wonder some of emperors claimed themselves as the sons of heaven ;p

Gate of Supreme Harmony.

Behind the gate of Supreme Harmony is the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Tai He Dian)

Tai He Dian is the largest building where important ceremonies and celebrations were held during the Imperial Dynasty.

Most of the buildings structures and walls were built of wood. The red pillar and the decorated beam (as in the pic below) were also made of wood. 

Sundial or Ri Gui at the Tai He Dian.

According to our tour guide, there are about 9999 rooms in the forbidden city, however checking with other sources, there are only 8880+ rooms altogether.

Dragon carvings and red painted buildings can be seen almost everywhere in the Forbidden city.

Tianamen Square

Tianamen means Gate of Heavenly Peace

Great Hall of the People

Sculptures in front of Mao Tse Tong's mausoleum

The Monument of People's Heroes

Later in the evening, we strolled along the shopping street in Wangfujing before going to watch the acrobatic show. The show was awesome!!

Basically, those were the main activities on day 1. More activities on the following days may be written later if time permit, Inshaa Allah.

Note*: Sources of facts & figures in (*) are from wikipedia.