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The Forbidden City, China

March 20, 2011 (Sunday)
Early in the morning, after a light breakfast, my friends and I were heading to the Forbidden City, situated in the middle of Beijing. It took less than an hour drive to the largest ancient imperial palace in the world from our hotel.

Once arrived, our bus stopped a bit far from the entrance because the road were full of buses and cars parked on both sides of the road. With cold weather around 8°C, the place was crowded with foreigners and locals. Most people were busy snapping photos.

Historically, the palace was constructed from 1406 to 1420. It consists of nine hundred and eighty buildings with eight thousand seven hundred and seven bays of rooms. It serves as a representation of traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has been an influence of cultural and architectural development in Asia.

Forbidden City is divided in two sections known as the Inner Court and the Outer Court. The Outer Court is the front section of the palace, which was used for ceremonial purposes. The Inner Court is the back section, used for daily activities of the state. The Outer consists of the Meridian Gate, Gate of Divine Might, West Glorious Gate, East Glorious Gate, Corner Towers, gate of supreme Harmony and Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Inner Court on the other hand includes the Hall of Military Eminence, The Hall of Literary Glory, Southern Three Places, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Imperial Garden, Hall of Mental Cultivation and Palace of Tranquil Longevity.

Located on the south of the palace is Tiananmen Square, the ceremonial centre of the people’s republic of China. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, the Forbidden City is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

An interesting site to visit.

                                               


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