Marc and I went to the Forbidden City on our very first full day of vacation in China.  It was a no brainer really since it was close to our hotel and Wangfujing.  It was definitely nice to see Wangfujing at day time.  It was so clean. Along the way, we saw the Beijing Hotel right in front of the very chi chi and modern Oriental Plaza Mall.  The Beijing Hotel used to be the premier hotel in the Chinese capital.  It used to be the place where visiting presidents from abroad stayed whenever they came and visited Beijing in the past.  We first saw it on Globetrekker when Megan McCormick stayed there to film the program's Beijing episode.  The hotel lobby looked so different now compared to when we saw it on TV a few years back.  The government must have given it a  makeover just before the Olympic Games there in 2008.  At the time of our visit, it already looked modern and new.

That's me in front of the historic Beijing Hotel.

At the lobby of the newly modernized Beijing Hotel

Another view of the Beijing Hotel lobby

While walking towards the Forbidden City, we passed by another hotel, The Grand Raffles Hotel on Changan Boulevard Beijing.

Finally we arrived at Tianamen Gate.  Despite the cold, the place was jampacked with tourists mostly locals.  I even saw Chinese group tours from other Chinese mainland cities and provinces with guides carrying a yellow or red banners.

What?  The Tianamen Gate!  Of course, I want a picture taken.

Ready to enter the Forbidden City with our crisp and newly purchased tickets

Marc with our tickets to the Forbidden City

While it may not look it, we were freezing like crazy on this day.  On our first full day in Beijing, we had our real dose of the cold that reigns over China's capital in the winter.  I remember us having to go inside gift shops and tiny museums within the Forbidden City not really to shop nor look at exhibits but to escape the cold and heat up our hands.  There were a few Chinese Americans from Northern California touring the place at the time of our visit and we couldn't help but laugh when we overhead them wanting to return home because of the cold.   We could totally relate.

Inside the Forbidden City.  "OMG, it was huge!"

This waterway inside the Forbidden City was frozen, believe you me.

Marc in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.  The Tai He Dian, Hall of Supreme Harmony, is widely considered to be the greatest achievement of Ming Architecture.  It rises from a triple terrace of white marble and is set off by the expansive Court of the Imperial Palace.  Richly painted pillars and brackets support a prominent, yellow tiled roof.  This is where the Dragon Throne can be found.  Once considered by the Chinese as the hub of the world, it was where the MIng and Qing Emperors ruled.

There were a number of these inside the Forbidden City.  I know for sure this was not a cauldron where water was kept to douse fire inside the Forbidden City.  This must have been used as a lantern or heater.  I am not sure.  It sure looked nice though.  Taken in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Carved stone panels in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony

The Tai He Dian or Hall of Supreme Harmony

This is the Dragon Throne inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

It was quite difficult to take a picture because of the crowds.

Luckily, I was able to take this shot.

Rear windows of the Tai He Dian or Hall of Supreme Harmony

The marble terraces and the nearby buildings surrounding the Tai He Dian or Hall of Supreme Harmony

Marc in front of the Tai He Dian or Hall of Supreme Harmony

After the Tai He Dian or Hall of Supreme Harmony, comes the hall in the center of the Forbidden City,

The Hall of Central Harmony

The marble terraces that surrounded the Tai He Dian or Hall of Supreme Harmony continued all the way to the Hall of Central Harmony as well as the Hall of Preserved Harmony

The throne inside the Hall of Central Harmony

Notice the three terraces on which the different halls are located

Now these terraces are in reality very expansive.

After the Halls of Supreme and Central Harmonies, comes the Hall of Preserved Harmony at the very back of the Forbidden City

To be honest, I was getting very confused as to which hall was which inside the Forbidden City.  They all looked alike.  They had the same color, same decor, same style.  To be able to identify the buildings correctly and accurately for this blog, I had to go by the order by which Marc and I visited the halls (meaning, from front to back)

In front of the Hall of Preserved Harmony

A front view of the Hall of Preserved Harmony

More of the three level marble terraces as well as the buildings which surround the three halls of harmony

Walkways, on ramps, and hallways

I loved the red tiled roofs with gold trimmings.  Impressive.

A closer view of the red tiled roofs with gold trimmings.

The red tiled roofs of the buildings surrounding the three great halls of harmony.  The smaller building on the left foreground is a gift shop.  Can you see the t-shirts hanging on the windows? The merchandise inside the Forbidden City's gift shops were very nice indeed.  Lots of wonderful stuff uniquely Chinese that were reasonably priced.  Once in Beijing with the urge to shop, buy gifts and souvenirs in the Forbidden City gift shops instead of the silk markets.

Here I am leaving the area of the three Great Halls of Harmony to visit other parts the Forbidden City.

Gates were everywhere.

After going through this gate, we arrived at the Hall of Heavenly Purity.

So many halls, so many thrones, this one's the throne inside the Hall of Heavenly Purity

Exquisite carving on the wooden door of the Hall of Heavenly Purity

One of the beautifully carved red doors of the Hall of Heavenly Purity

I would love to get this door for my condo in San Francisco

A different view inside the Hall of Heavenly Purity

These brass cauldrons can be found everywhere throughout the Forbidden City

It is said that these were filled with water in the olden days to help douse fires within the city.

More of the same brass cauldrons inside the Forbidden City.

They provided a nice decor

I have no clue what this was.  It  looked too pretty to pass up and not take a picture of it.

More buildings surrounding the great halls.

These must have been shelter for the workers of the Forbidden City ages ago.

Hall of Union and Peace

Informative plaque about the Jiao Tai Dian or Hall of Union and Peace

Just as there are many big and small halls, there are as many gates to the different areas of the Forbidden City.  This one lead us to the Imperial Park.

This is the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Spring Seasons at Imperial Park

The intricate ceiling of the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Spring Seasons

Informative plaque about the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Spring Seasons

Other sights at the Imperial Park were these white rocks that looked like sculptures

The Dui Xiu Shan or Hill of Accumulated Elegance

Based on what I've read from the informative boards or plaques about this hill and pavilion, the emperor and his family were the only ones allowed to go up this hill during the Festival of the Double Ninth and go to the top where a small hall sits.

The Hall of Imperial Peace

Information about the Hall of Imperial Peace

Honestly, without these informative plaques or boards, I would be at a loss labeling all these pictures I took during our trip to the Forbidden City.  It is especially useful given that the halls and buildings here have identical architecture, style and decor.

A carved marble furnace

The carvings on the marble furnace in front of the Hall of Imperial Peace

Marc in front of the Hall of Imperial Peace

The Thousand Year Pavilion looked very similar to the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Spring Seasons

in Imperial Park.

The intricate ceiling of the Thousand Year Pavilion.  It was absolutely gorgeous.

Inside the Thousand Year Pavilion

The Palace of Blessings to Mother Earth

A cauldron and animal statues in front of the Palace of Blessings to Mother Earth

Our next stop in the seeming maze of halls and palaces inside the Forbidden City was the

Hall of Mental Cultivation

Taken just a few minutes before we left the Forbidden City

Besides the brass cauldrons, carved marble panels, red tiled roof buildings, and halls big and small, gilded dragons could also be found in numbers all over the absolutely expansive Forbidden City.

A parting shot of the Hall of Supreme Harmony as we left the grounds of the Forbidden City

Marc and I had a very wonderful visit.  The Forbidden City was a truly awesome sight.

We had a hard time believing that we were finally in Beijing.