Beijing Photo Gallery - Forbidden City #4

I didn't recall seeing chairs before, but these are good additions since the long walk along the central axis is indeed exhausting and needs a few hours to digest.

Domestic tour groups are identifiable by their colourful and uniform hats.

Fight with the crowd to peek into the Palace of Heavenly Purity from the door.

Be patient yet aggressive and navigate through the crowds. The Palace of Heavenly Purity does not allow visitors to enter inside, so you can only find a spot at the door for a look in.

Behind it is a much smaller Hall of Union.

While there aren't that many interiors to see here, you can still appreciate the details in the construction everywhere.

Palace of Earthly Tranquility

Vegetation re-appears at the Imperial Garden. I suppose the emperor doesn't always come in here so there are less precautions over assassins hiding.

Behind it is the Gate of Divine Prowess. You have reached the northern end of the Forbidden City.

Jingshan Park is worth visiting for an elevated overview of the entire palace complex. I had to skip this to find my way back to Tianjin for the night though.

I opted to walk along the northwestern perimeter to see the defences. Assassins would need to know how to both swim and climb walls, then get lost in the maze of buildings inside.

Red is considered an imperial colour and could not be used by commoners. So the side streets nearby look fairly grey.

Thanks for visiting! 60 yuan is a bargain for this UNESCO World Heritage Site!

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