Beijing: Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is an enormous walled complex of courtyards, temples, palaces, offices, gardens, and service buildings in the center of Beijing. It was largely completed by 1420, but was renovated and added to many times over the following centuries (sort of like our cabin at Horseshoe Springs). The Forbidden City was the home of 24 emperors and their concubines, relatives, courtiers, and retinues numbering into the thousands. It was also the seat of government, the focal point of sacred ceremonies, and center of the entire cosmos.


One could easily spend several days exploring every corner of the Forbidden City, which is often said to have 9,999 rooms. Impressive doesn't begin to describe its magnitude or its splendor. Still, we were more impressed by the quiet beauty of the Inner Court, the residential palaces and gardens reserved for the imperial family and their most intimate circle.

http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/ForbiddenCity#