Our first stop was to Tiananmen Square which is where the Forbidden City was located. The Tiananmen Gate was first built in the 1420s in the Ming Dynasty but originally designed and built in Beijing in 1651.
British and French troops who invaded Beijing in 1860 pitched camp near the gate and briefly considered burning the gate and the entire Forbidden City down. They decided ultimately to preserve the palace and to burn instead the emperor's Old Summer Palace. The Qing emperor eventually agreed to let the foreign powers establish headquarters in the area. During them Boxer Rebellion of 1900 the siege badly damaged the office complexes and several ministries were burnt down. In the conflict's denouement, the area became a space for foreign troops to assemble their armies and horses. It was cleared in due course to produce the beginning of what is now known as the Tiananmen Square.
British and French troops who invaded Beijing in 1860 pitched camp near the gate and briefly considered burning the gate and the entire Forbidden City down. They decided ultimately to preserve the palace and to burn instead the emperor's Old Summer Palace. The Qing emperor eventually agreed to let the foreign powers establish headquarters in the area. During them Boxer Rebellion of 1900 the siege badly damaged the office complexes and several ministries were burnt down. In the conflict's denouement, the area became a space for foreign troops to assemble their armies and horses. It was cleared in due course to produce the beginning of what is now known as the Tiananmen Square.
The Forbidden City was the Chinese palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.
It was built from 1406 to 1420 and consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms and covers 720,000 square metres.
It was built from 1406 to 1420 and consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms and covers 720,000 square metres.
Here is us in the garden in the Forbidden City.
Clark and I riding in a Rickshaw around the city....yeah it was a little stuffy.
Mmmm...so we were walking around the little town of Shichachi and came across these good lookin strawberries called Candied Haw...well me being the adventurous one decided we should buy one and try it. You can buy all sorts of assorted fruit on a stick which is eventually dipped in sugar and left to harden. These were so tasty and I think I want to learn how to make these when I get back to Tampa! Too bad we just missed the strawberry season! grrr.
These birds were trained to pick the change out of your hand and hop over to the piggy bank and drop the money in. Too cute! It was pretty sad to see all the birds tied up though. 
Clark and I enjoyed an Acrobat Show one night and I must say it was pretty amazing. I mean just look at all the neato tricks they could do:
Can you bend that way?!?!
We had a great first day in Beijing and couldn't wait until the next day when we would see the Great Wall of China! Stay tuned!
1 comment:
Wow - that looks amazing but REALLY looking forward to the Great Wall and Terracotta Warrior photos too! Did you travel with a tour group or just do your own thing? Not sure when we'll get to China... but looking forward to Ho Chi Minh City this coming weekend! Hope all is well back home... can't remember if you're in Chicago or Georgia at the moment, but either way, hope you're loving being back with family! :) xo
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