Warning: This post may be long but I filled it with tons of pictures.  I really enjoyed the Forbidden City and I wanted to share all my pictures with you!

Yesterday, Alliance took us to explore the Forbidden City.  After a long van ride, we arrived outside the main Meridian Gate.  This would have been the gate in which the Emperor entered the city.  The Forbidden City was forbidden to all local people and foreigners.  It was only where the Emperor of China lived and worked. Today, it is a major historical tourist attraction for locals and foreigners alike!

Once you enter the Forbidden City, you must pass through many large buildings and gateways to go through the area and exit.  We were told that the Chinese believed God lived in a heaven with 1,000 rooms.  Since the Chinese emperor was directly below God, he wanted to live in a city with 9,999 1/2 rooms.  Fun Fact: Even though the emperor wanted 9,999 1/2 rooms, there are actually only 8,700 something rooms.  Guess they were a little off!

As we passed through another gate, we saw the beautiful Gate of Supreme Harmony (which is the building ahead).  Every single building had intricate, colorful paintings on the walls and ceilings. Sometimes I didn’t know where to look first!

We saw these huge outdoor vases everywhere!  I learned they used to be filled to the brim with water.  These were some of the first fire hydrants in China.  If ever a fire broke out (since most of these buildings are made of wood), there was always easy access to water. I also learned that the brick flooring was actually 15 layers deep.  This ensured that if any invaders or enemies wanted to penetrate the Forbidden City from below and attempt to kill the emperor…well, it would be really, really difficult.

The Forbidden City was massive and it took us a few hours to explore just a small section of it.

I found the Imperial Garden!

…and the Imperial Toilets!

I even played with the Imperial shadows!

And then came the best part of all! We were slowing making our way through the Forbidden City, even stopping for a 冰激凌 (ice cream) break.  We seemed to be exiting the city but up in the hills I saw one more building structure.  It looked absolutely awesome and I wanted to hike up the hill to get a better look.  Thankfully, exploring this last building was already on the itinerary. 

This last building was located in Jingshan Park. I was so excited I was jumping up and down. I kept asking other people if they were excited too but no one seemed quite as enthusiastic as me.  The hike up involved many stone steps and steep walkways but I nearly ran all the way up.  And guess what? The view was unbelievable.

Here is the Forbidden City from above! Enjoy!

Again, you can see how China’s historic buildings still stand as the modern city builds ever bigger and taller around it.

We were lucky to visit the Forbidden City on a beautiful, warm September day.  I wish I could go back again and again.  Remember when I said I was so excited I was jumping up and down and ran all the way up the hill, well after walking down and returning to the van, I instantly fell asleep for the whole trip back to BLCU. So far, this trip to the Forbidden City has been my favorite place in China. I hope you all can see it one day too!