Yes, yes, yes…loved it so much I went back twice!! Why wouldn’t you when next year the Chinese Government are putting restrictions on the number of tourists- first 100,000 apparently will get in after that no….and this is a place that in peak season has 150,000 tourists a day.
My first thoughts was to rush through all the various palaces to get to that massive courtyard that has been used…largely as a simulated backdrop…in a number of movies. But…Id purchased an electronic tour guide thing so off I set.
And, being China…what fun the electronic gadget was. It had a map with little coloured buttons that showed you where you were, blinked on suggested routes, automatically changed if you decided to skip somewhere to a new section – there must be a little GPS transmitter in there. No wonder they asked for a hefty, by Chinese standards, deposit when you rented one. Absolutely fabulous!
The Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum is up there in my mind with Versailles, Buckingham Palace and the Kremlin. A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Building and the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world, it was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Such was the labour force of the Emperor at the time that it took over one million workers a mere fourteen years from 1406 to 1420 to build some 8700 rooms in 980 buildings spread over 720,000 m2. It is colossal. Twenty-four emperors, their wives, concubines, eunuchs and related staff lived there and it also served as the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government.
It is called Forbidden City¸ as no one could arrive or leave without the Emperor’s permission. Trapped there in gilded splendour for the rest of their lives if they entered the palace to join the court. The museums now inside it were a treasure trove of the intrigue at palace life…It was kind of eerie standing in the large courtyard and remembering that scene in The Last Emperor of all the eunuchs being banned and leaving carrying their private parts in pots after burning down the storehouses.
The simplicity on one hand of the design- Asian- and the grandeur of the yellow tiles, red lacquer, gold leaf and dark screened wood, created a scene of extreme opulence. The only thing Id complain about would be if you were to marry an emperor- the beds in the honeymoon area where the newlyweds stayed for two weeks did not look comfortable! But then I doubt they were both 6 foot Caucasian heifers!!
As well as the incredible beauty of the buildings, the palace complex houses over a million rare treasures dotted in the palaces- holding paintings, clocks, bronze wares, pottery, jade and jewellery.
The guide was excellent- explaining all of the various halls as I lost a few hours ambling around the complex. The names of them all were very evocative- the Halls of Supreme Harmony, Central Harmony and Preserving Harmony, Heavenly Purity, Earth Tranquility, Mental Cultivation, Joyful Longevity, Ancestral Worship and Union and Peace.
The palace, after being a place of birth and death for the Emperors, ceased to be the political centre of China in 1912 when the Last Emperor- Puyi abdicated (amazing film if you haven’t seen it- he ascended at the tender age of a little under 3 years old in December 1908). He was allowed to remain in the Inner Court, while the Outer Court was used by the public, but was evicted after a coup in 1924.
The Emperor resided in the Palace of Heavenly Purity- which represented yang and the heavens. The Empress meanwhile received in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, representing yin and the earth. Between these two palaces, lay the Hall of Union, representing where yin and yang mixed to produce harmony.
The famous Nine Dragons Screen in front of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, replete with one damaged tile that various rumours abound!
The palace is a stunning masterpiece now enjoyed by millions of people each year rather than the few thousand in the privileged emperor’s courts of the time. Slightly more for people to visit here than what the last emperor left future generations- a few gardening gloves!
However the highlight of the tour was definately the below....
Dying of hunger I entered what seemed to be the only place in the entire complex selling food or drink. It was like a little store with three shelves of food. I pointed at the above as Id seen some people eating it outside and it looked like a hot chicken noodle dish. Walking outside with my little yellow plastic container I opened it to find this rather congealed mess inside which was, to say the least, rather unpalatable. A chinese then came up to me and closed the lid of my container and motioned on his watch the second hand going around 3 times. So I sat and a minute later this little amazing thin plastic container started to shake. Next thing you know hot steam was pouring out of the little hole on the lid and the whole thing was hissing. After the alloted 3 minutes I opened the container and hey presto....hot chicken noodle dish! Amazing- it seemed to have a hidden layer in the bottom which somehow the staff had activated when I purchased it. Great idea!
w
My first thoughts was to rush through all the various palaces to get to that massive courtyard that has been used…largely as a simulated backdrop…in a number of movies. But…Id purchased an electronic tour guide thing so off I set.
And, being China…what fun the electronic gadget was. It had a map with little coloured buttons that showed you where you were, blinked on suggested routes, automatically changed if you decided to skip somewhere to a new section – there must be a little GPS transmitter in there. No wonder they asked for a hefty, by Chinese standards, deposit when you rented one. Absolutely fabulous!
The Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum is up there in my mind with Versailles, Buckingham Palace and the Kremlin. A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Building and the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world, it was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Such was the labour force of the Emperor at the time that it took over one million workers a mere fourteen years from 1406 to 1420 to build some 8700 rooms in 980 buildings spread over 720,000 m2. It is colossal. Twenty-four emperors, their wives, concubines, eunuchs and related staff lived there and it also served as the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government.
It is called Forbidden City¸ as no one could arrive or leave without the Emperor’s permission. Trapped there in gilded splendour for the rest of their lives if they entered the palace to join the court. The museums now inside it were a treasure trove of the intrigue at palace life…It was kind of eerie standing in the large courtyard and remembering that scene in The Last Emperor of all the eunuchs being banned and leaving carrying their private parts in pots after burning down the storehouses.
The simplicity on one hand of the design- Asian- and the grandeur of the yellow tiles, red lacquer, gold leaf and dark screened wood, created a scene of extreme opulence. The only thing Id complain about would be if you were to marry an emperor- the beds in the honeymoon area where the newlyweds stayed for two weeks did not look comfortable! But then I doubt they were both 6 foot Caucasian heifers!!
As well as the incredible beauty of the buildings, the palace complex houses over a million rare treasures dotted in the palaces- holding paintings, clocks, bronze wares, pottery, jade and jewellery.
The guide was excellent- explaining all of the various halls as I lost a few hours ambling around the complex. The names of them all were very evocative- the Halls of Supreme Harmony, Central Harmony and Preserving Harmony, Heavenly Purity, Earth Tranquility, Mental Cultivation, Joyful Longevity, Ancestral Worship and Union and Peace.
The palace, after being a place of birth and death for the Emperors, ceased to be the political centre of China in 1912 when the Last Emperor- Puyi abdicated (amazing film if you haven’t seen it- he ascended at the tender age of a little under 3 years old in December 1908). He was allowed to remain in the Inner Court, while the Outer Court was used by the public, but was evicted after a coup in 1924.
The Emperor resided in the Palace of Heavenly Purity- which represented yang and the heavens. The Empress meanwhile received in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, representing yin and the earth. Between these two palaces, lay the Hall of Union, representing where yin and yang mixed to produce harmony.
The famous Nine Dragons Screen in front of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, replete with one damaged tile that various rumours abound!
The palace is a stunning masterpiece now enjoyed by millions of people each year rather than the few thousand in the privileged emperor’s courts of the time. Slightly more for people to visit here than what the last emperor left future generations- a few gardening gloves!
However the highlight of the tour was definately the below....
Dying of hunger I entered what seemed to be the only place in the entire complex selling food or drink. It was like a little store with three shelves of food. I pointed at the above as Id seen some people eating it outside and it looked like a hot chicken noodle dish. Walking outside with my little yellow plastic container I opened it to find this rather congealed mess inside which was, to say the least, rather unpalatable. A chinese then came up to me and closed the lid of my container and motioned on his watch the second hand going around 3 times. So I sat and a minute later this little amazing thin plastic container started to shake. Next thing you know hot steam was pouring out of the little hole on the lid and the whole thing was hissing. After the alloted 3 minutes I opened the container and hey presto....hot chicken noodle dish! Amazing- it seemed to have a hidden layer in the bottom which somehow the staff had activated when I purchased it. Great idea!
w
No comments:
Post a Comment