Seeing the Forbidden city on a map of Beijing does not convey the labyrinthine enormity of the place. In fact -- like other travellers before us, at times we felt almost defeated by the vastness and mysterious twists and turns of the imperial palace and grounds. It is really amazing to consider that it was built and maintained over 600 years to serve one man -- who ever ruled from the Dragon throne. If you've seen The Last Emperor, you know that finally Puyi abdicated in 1912, but he lived here a bit longer (this is the guy who came to the throne at age 3 and was spoiled royally by a staff of hundreds).
We saw most of the grounds and some of the museums. I liked the gardens, but we also appreciated the grand view of the Hall of Supreme Harmony (as Helen pointed out -- just like in Mulan). Another high point was the $6 I spent to have all 3 kids outfitted in court attire (see photo)...
Tonight we went for a walk through the "Times Square" of Beijing -- the Wangfujing strip near our hotel. We chickened out on the exotic stall foods (and I left my camera behind so you will not see photos of insects on a stick.) Tomorrow is the long awaited Great Wall trip and afterwards we are trying to meet up with Frank, the adoption facilitator and guide for Helen's adoption, who lives here.
