There are several pics today. I forgot to mention one of the coolest features of our Boeing 777. Every seat had a 110V outlet and a 5V USB outlet for charging phones and computers. How cool is that?
Hall Of Supreme Harmony
The big activity today was visiting the Forbidden City. The buildings are quite impressive. They look large, horizontal (almost squat), and very permanent. I wish our guide was more interested in architecture. I’m sure I’ll be reading up on how these buildings were built when we get back. The tourist experience was very different than the guide books indicated. The Chinese no longer allow visitors in most of the rooms. Instead, one can walk to the doorway and look inside. The big attraction is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where the emperor sat on his throne and dispensed state business. It was so crowded we weren’t able to see the throne room.
Somebody’s looking for good luck at the Scratched Water Cauldron
When the Japanese conquered Beijing (circa 1911), they wanted to steal the huge gold-colored water cauldrons (used for fire protection). They were far too heavy to steal, so the Japanese scratched away at the gold paint.
Jade With 9 Dragons
Nine is a lucky number. Dragons represent the Emperor. That’s why this jade surrounded by brass had to have 9 dragons. If you look closely, you can see 4 dragons — one on either side of the circle and one on either side at the bottom. The other side has 4 more dragons. The last dragon comes about because this item was placed outside the emperor’s living quarters. When you look through the hole, you see the emperor — the 9th dragon.
Emperor’s Bedroom
After lunch, we visited Tian’anmen Square. This is the largest public square in the world. It is also totally uninteresting. There are no seats of any kind, no food or drink for sale, no trees, and two very small patches of shade. We had no problems getting into the square, but the Chinese had a much harder time getting through security. We had more time here than I needed for sure.
Sill Keeps Bad Spirits Out
Most doorways have these tall sills. It seems like Chinese bad spirits have something in common with zombies. They can’t jump very high. These sills keep the bad spirits out.
Rockery
A really great Chinese rockery has lots of holes, created naturally by a stream. Ideally, all these holes are interconnected. A smoke source at the bottom of the rockery would result in smoke coming out of all the holes at the top.
I must say the food has been quite good. This evening we had our Beijing duck welcome dinner. As usual, there were many dishes available. If one doesn’t look good to you, there are half a dozen others that are more interesting.