7:30 a.m.
9:15 a.m.
glimpse of one of the main palaces
not satisfying, but
that’s the best I could
but the main central door was shut
according to one of the many tour-guides
yup, I got to eavesdrop and free ride
the dragon mural in the middle of the walkway
is the pathway for the Emperor
I think it would be quite a danger
no.. I think they carried him in a palanquin
11:15 a.m.
squeeze in
squeeze in
and finally a proper photo of
how does the real palace look like
as you could see
the building is of oblong shaped
therefore it doesn’t exactly fit for
hundreds and thousands of statesmen to enter
I supposed only the highest among the higher ranked
could be in there during assembly
there rest would probably just stand outside
sun/snow/rain
and would only get to enter the hall
when they are liable to answer to something
it could mean a deadly call
so I guess it is still better to stand on the plaza
the royal garden
I doubt it is an ideal spot for “scandalous” meet-up
as illustrated on tv screen
because it’s of an open space
and the trees do not really have
those overshadowing shades
and the long corridor in between palaces
6 each on the West and East side for the
12 higher-ranked concubines
on TV screen, the protagonist managed to
lend a helping hand to his crush who
unfortunately bumped into either an assassin
or an evil superior
on another occasion,
the protagonists managed to catch a conversation of
a treacherous plot
but seriously
there’s no corner to hide an assassin
or hold a secret meeting
in the first place I don’t think
any statesmen except the eunuchs
will be allowed entrance to
the residence of the emperor
princess no longer take one tiny step at a time
They wear sneakers!!
this palace has undergone
the worst ever looting in human history
internal and externally
therefore some of the artifacts
on display are incomplete
some are replicas, very excellent replicas
and half of them are in the Taipei museum
half of the places were being locked up
not even peeping is available
because I guess most probably
they are quite empty right now
there are actually a list of things
I would like to see
such as
the servants’ quarter, the kitchen,
a chamber of a princess, including the wardrobe
3:00 p.m.
finally got to enter a real palace
and best of all
not much visitors made their ways there
it’s on the East side of the “city”
where you have to pay another 10 rmb
for entrances to a couple of mini museums,
this one and an opera theatre
4:20 p.m.
exit via the south-gate
drop dead soring feet
despite the “waking up from the impression”
disappointment, indeed a little
it was indeed a long good walk through
the best of Chinese architecture
exiting tips:
exiting from the South Gate
it’s most probably not a good idea to
walk all the way back to the
Tian An Men East Metro station
suggestion is that
catch a convenient bus ride
to Wang Fu Jing shopping district
it only costs 40 cents per bus ride!!
and hang around for a quick break or
at least, the Metro station is just within walking distance
alight after the huge Apple store comes into sight
they have a whole street of local delicacies
or the familiar one like McDonalds’ and all