Beijing #2

In the middle of Beijing, the capital of China, there are the remains of an independent city, which for its reputation no one call differently but “Forbidden”. And since the forbidden places are tempting, I know exactly where I want to go in Beijing despite the heat outside…

To the Forbidden city I go together with my two colleagues by taxi. We get off near an incredibly large square full of red flags – Tiananmen Square, where all the People’s Republic of China state ceremonies are held for a large audience. It reminds me a bit Moscow with its spaciousness, waving red and large portraits of famous leaders. Despite the dizzying heat and lack of shadows, too many Chinese tourists roam around the square. They warned us that these cities could be overcrowded, and even the early morning wake-up call did not help.

The majestic Gate of Divine Might leads from the square to the Forbidden City. Suddenly, a huge 72-hectare complex of 980 ancient richly decorated palaces and houses spread out in front of us. Forbidden City for hundreds of years (1420 – 1912) served as the seat of emperors, from the ruling Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. The city gained its name thanks to the inexorable rules that prevailed here. Whoever entered the walls could never go out again. Above all, the complex was a huge home to the thousands of concubines that the Emperor had collected for his pleasure. Some girls came here for a career voluntarily, but many of them were taken away from their families as little girls because of their beauty. Most of them the Emperor had never seen in his entire life, but some enjoyed great popularity and significant influence. No wonder there was huge competition and many intrigues between the girls. In addition, there was not even single proper man among all the women (except the Emperor) in entire place. Men were forbidden to enter, and those who took care of the household, protect and served concubines, had to be exclusive eunuchs… I can’t help myself but the Emperor who needs to be surrounded by thousands of beautiful women without all of them needed, and at the same time not allow any other man to enter the city, he had to suffer from a complex of little…  self-confidence… 🙂

The Forbidden City had to be a truly impressive place according to the reconstruction plans and although today it is not so much left, it still evokes respect in people. The houses were once surrounded by majestic gardens, nowadays there is only a bunch of empty stone areas full of Chinese visitors. We need at least an hour to get from the north main gate to the south. As we cross the whole complex and find ourselves on the other side, we see the richly decorated turrets of the Buddha Temple up in the hills ahead of us. Despite fatigue and sweat, we still decide to climb up there to see Beijing and the Forbidden City from above. Then there is only an easy task to find a taxi that will take us back to the hotel. Most taxi drivers around the southern gate of the Forbidden City do not speak English, so they rather ignore every non-Chinese tourists. On the other hand, there are some non-working Chinese, who stand near their private cars and see the promise of side earnings in desperate Western people so they offer us to drive us to the hotel for 200 yuan. We have no choice than to trust a Chinese man who seems to understand our language the best… And then we just have to pray that he does not sell us to the Chinese mafia… 🙂