Day 2 - Forbidden City and the Summer Palace

Just like the first day, our second day of sight seeing in Beijing started early. Today we had to cover the vast imperial palaces known as the Forbidden City in the morning and the Summer Palace in the afternoon. We were picked up at the lobby promptly at 9:00 am and our first stop was the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City located in the center of Beijing, covering an area of 72 hectares. It is rectangular in shape, 961 meters long from north to south and 753 meters wide from east to west. There are total 9999.5 rooms in the whole complex. There is a 10-metre-high wall, encircled by a 52-metre-wide moat.

The Forbidden City was the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties, known as the Palace Museum. The construction took 14 years and was finished in 1420. In the following years, the capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. Twenty-four emperors, 14 in the Ming and 10 in the Qing dynasties ruled from here. The last dynasty fell in 1911, but Emperor Puyi still lived in the Inner Court until 1924, when he was thrown out of the palace by the troops of General Feng Yuxiang. After that, the palace was opened to the public as the Palace Museum and it was no longer forbidden to the common people.

The Forbidden City is the largest piece of ancient Chinese architecture still standing. Some of the buildings were damaged by lightning and rebuilt in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It had been expanded several times, but the original layout was preserved.

After liberation, some costly renovations were done and the Forbidden City is listed as one of the important historical monument under special preservation by the Chinese Government. The size of this palace is absolutely mind boggling. It took us about two hours to walk through the various court yards surrounded by high walls and gates before we finally reached the actual palace. This huge wooden structure is held together without a single nail or metal fastenings! It has been restored to its original pristine condition.

 The emperors living in the palace maintained a huge harem of concubines- sometimes as many as 3000 at a time! These concubines were housed in the same compound as the inner palace. The guide explained to us that most of the emperors never slept with many of these concubines, but they were kept and maintained in royal style.

After the tour of the Forbidden City we made a stop for lunch and then at a Chinese silk factory. Here we were given a complete history of Chinese silk making and the enormous silk trade that linked China to Europe in 16^th to 19^th centuries. The famous Silk Road extends from Beijing all the way to Europe through some of the most desolate deserts and mountains in western China. We ended up buying two sets of silk comforters with sheets and pillow cases. Compared to the prices we would have paid in US, the prices were a bargain � but I am sure we paid a lot more as tourists in a shop which is open only to tourists.

Lunch for tourists is usually at specifically selected places. These are fairly large restaurants, specifically catering to the tourists. Lunch is usually served on a very large round table seating about ten people. In the middle, there is turn table where they place huge dishes containing rice, vegetables and various meat dishes. Everyone then plunges into these dishes with Chop Sticks. The Chinese food is generally very healthy. Most of the food consists of fresh vegetables saut�ed with  very little oil. There is a very large selection of healthy seafood and chicken and it is not laden with fried or oily stuff. But it is very different from the Chinese food we get either in USA or in India. In Beijing, it is mostly Cantonese style which is quite bland and not spicy. We managed well, as we had copious amounts of fresh vegetables, fruits, noodles and rice. Milk products like cheese and yogurt are quite rare in this Cantonese cuisine.

After lunch and shopping at the silk factory, our next destination was the Summer Palace of the Emperors.

Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. Having the largest royal park and being well preserved, it was designated, in 1960 by the State Council, as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Constructed in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), during the succeeding reign of feudal emperors; it was extended continuously. By the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it had become a luxurious royal garden providing royal families with rest and entertainment. Originally called "Qingyi Garden" (Garden of Clear Ripples), it was know as one of the famous "three hills and five gardens" (Longevity Hill, Jade Spring Mountain, and Fragrant Hill; Garden of Clear Ripples, Garden of Everlasting Spring, Garden of Perfection and Brightness, Garden of Tranquility and Brightness, and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Like most of the gardens of Beijing, it could not elude the rampages of the Anglo-French allied force and was destroyed by fire. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit, changing its name to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). She spent most of her later years there, dealing with state affairs and entertaining. In 1900, it suffered again, being ransacked by the Eight-Power Allied Force. After the success of the 1911 Revolution, it was opened to the public.

Composed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, The Summer Palace occupies an area of 294 hectares (726.5 acres), three quarters of which is water. Guided by nature, artists designed the gardens exquisitely so that visitors would see marvelous views and be amazed by perfect examples of refined craftwork using the finest materials.

Centered on the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiangge) the Summer Palace consists of over 3,000 structures including pavilions, towers, bridges, and corridors. The Summer Palace can be divided into four parts: the court area, front-hill area, front-lake area, and rear-hill and back-lake area.

Front-Hill Area: this area is the most magnificent area in the Summer Palace with the most constructions. Its layout is quite distinctive because of the central axis from the yard of Kunming Lake to the hilltop, on which important buildings are positioned including Gate of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Moral Glory, Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, etc.

Rear-Hill and Back-Lake Area: although the constructions are fewer here, it has a unique landscape, with dense green trees, and winding paths. Visitors can feel a rare tranquility, and elegance. This area includes scenic spots such as Garden of Harmonious Interest and Suzhou Market Street.

Court Area: this is where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu met officials, conducted state affairs and rested. Entering the East Palace Gate, visitors may see the main palace buildings: the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity served as the office of the Emperor, the Hall of Jade Ripples where Guangxu lived, the Hall of Joyful Longevity, Cixi's residence, the Hall of Virtue and Harmony where Cixi was entertained.

Front Lake Area: covering a larger part of the Summer Palace, opens up the vista of the lake. A breeze fluttering, waves gleam and willows kiss the ripples of the vast water. In this comfortable area there are the Eastern and Western Banks, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, Nanhu Island, and so on. On the western bank float six distinct bridges amongst which the Jade-Belt Bridge is the most beautiful.

It now almost 6:00 pm and we were getting a little tired of walking the whole day in the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. So our party was quite anxious to get back to the hotel and enjoy a quiet dinner. Chandra and I chose to walk around hotel neighborhood and found the famous American Hard Rock Caf�. We decided to try that one for dinner and when we went inside, it was full of American tourists gouging on the unhealthy American food. The rock music was very loud and there were younger people dancing. We got back to the hotel around 11:00 pm. tomorrow, day 3; we will not be taking a guided tour. We decided to travel on our own by taking the brand new Beijing subway and visit the famous Tiananmen Square.