Galloping Horse: Beijing

"皇上驾到!"

"huang shang jia dao"

The above expression is usually used by the emperor's eunuch to announce his arrival at functions. Little did I know about the history of ancient China but I managed to pick up a few names of emperors from Qing Dynasty which is the typical setting used in the series. This may be due to the fact that Qing Dynasty was the very last dynasty before being overruled by Republic of China as it is today. Kangxi and Yongzheng Emperors are among the common references used by directors in their work.

With Forbidden City as the survived existence of the dynasty, a trip to Beijing is definitely incomplete without the visit to one of the biggest best preserved imperial palaces in the world. This is where emperors and their concubines once lived. Home to 24 emperors, spanning two complete dynasty (Ming & Qing Dynasty) for more than 500 years, it is listed by UNESCO as largest collection of ancient preserved wooden structure in the world. Walking on the paths where Yongzhen used to pace or looking at dragon throne that Qianlong used to sit at while having session with his officials, the thought can be quite overwhelming at times. Well, if you know bits of China history that is.

Forbidden City is just a walking distance from the hostel I was staying, around twenty minutes. It was close to 9am and the place was already crowded with people. There were quite a number of counters opened at the time and hence I need not to wait long enough before getting my ticket.

Main entrance of Forbidden City, Meridian Gate

Maybe I should rephrase that: the only entrance of Forbidden City as you can only enter the city from this gate (located at the south of the complex) and the north gate only serves as exit and there is no way you can enter it from there. If you happened to arrive at the place at north gate, I'm afraid that you need to move surround the complex to get at the Meridian Gate. (Key point: It's crucial to plan ahead so as not to waste time.)

From my experience travelling in Europe last time, I would never thought that I would need to go through scanner whenever visiting tourist attractions and that happened in Beijing (that includes using the subway station).

Back in those days, only emperors can use the middle door (Imperial Passageway) and today, you don't need to be the descendant of royal family to walk through it. A fee of RMB60 will do.

Forbidden City entrance ticket

Excitement started to peak as I pass by that door...

Flashes of "Empresses in the Palace"'s setting..

Crossing the Golden River via these marble bridges which leads you to the following courtyard..

Gate of Supreme Harmony

Was greeted by such a big crowd and it seems to be almost impossible to capture the building on its own (and selfies). It is believed that this courtyard can accommodate up to 100, 000 people. At that point of time, I was still in disbelief that I was in the Forbidden City, the place that I have been imagining for as long as I remember. All the main buildings will have gates before them. As the caption goes for the above photo, passing this gate will lead you to...

Hall of Supreme Harmony

This is the most important and largest structure in Forbidden City. It is used for ceremonial occasions such as coronations, emperor's birthday etc.

Look at that crazy crowds.

As I walked along, I can't help but to observe the ancient chinese architecture. One of the things that I noticed quickly (of course, I read about it before hand) is the roof guardians.

Roof guardians

These guardians are at the four edges of the roof and it applies to all the roofs, whichever they shelter. It is a series of mythical beasts led by a figure riding a phoenix. The more the beasts are, the more important the building is. Noticed the colours of the building? I can only imagine how the people of that time can paint the repetitive patterns on all the structures.

Come to think of it, emperor has the absolute power and believing that the emperor is the son of God, there is nothing that emperor can't have. This may explain the reason of disputes among the princes as only one prince can ascend to the throne. Kangxi Emperor has the most surviving children (24 sons and 12 daughters) and I can only think how did the princes out-smart one another.

Guardian Lion

Dragon-Head Spouts

These spouts which are located at the marble platforms used to and still are parts of the drainage system.

Hall of Middle Harmony and Hall of Preserved Harmony

Dragon Throne at the Hall of Preserved Harmony

Water Vat

These water vats are spotted around the palace. They are used to contain water for fire fighting. In winter, to prevent the water from freezing, thick quilt is used to cover them.

Nine Dragon Screen

One of the three types left in China, this wall is meant to protect Hall of Imperial Supremacy from evil spirits. This wall is located at Complete Palace of Peace and Longevity, in which you need to turn right after exiting Hall of Preserved Harmony.

Walking ahead leads to the Gate of Heavenly Purity before entering another of set of three halls.

Palace of Heavenly Purity

Dragon Throne at Palace of Heavenly Purity

Exiting the halls and you shall come across Imperial Garden.

Before exiting the palace at the north gate, there are more to explore at the east and west wings of the city. These are the places where emperor and concubines actually lived.

The walkway at Eastern and Western Palaces

Different palaces are connected through this walkway. They look exactly the same from what I saw in the series, where all the concubines went from one place to another.

Hall of Mental Cultivation

This hall is the place where emperor spends his off time.

Exiting the imperial garden you shall see two kneeling elephants. This signifies the power of emperor as even elephants kowtowed before him.

Kneeling Elephant

Gate of Divine Prowess

View of Jingshan Park from Gate of Divine Prowess

After spending close to 5 hours, it was the end of my visit at Forbidden City. Was I overwhelmed? I was. But, I felt rather incomplete as not all sites are accessible to visitors. For instance, the place where emperors slept, room where he spent time with his concubines etc. as you can only peek through the windows. Those are the little details I have been dying to get close to but apparently, I couldn't.

Still, it was an insightful visit and I foresee myself to revisit the place one day.

Next Chapter: Ancient Greek Ruins in China?

Beijing Trip Journey:

1. Beginning of Maternal Ancestral Journey

2. Trespassing The Forbidden City

3. A Summer Escapade

4. A Great Scam at the Wall

5. Mao's Legacy

6. Temples Hopping
7. Walks in the Parks
8. Gastronomical Hunt

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

-Laozi

Travelling alone is one of the things that I have always wanted to do. Get my backpack and explore the world. I just never thought that I would do it in Beijing, the capital of People's Republic of China! Well, I did it for a number of days when I was in Ireland. This one we are talking about 9 days, 9 days trip in Beijing (just would like to emphasize).

The idea of visiting China was rather inspired after watching Mainland China drama series, "Empresses in the Palace" whereby the setting was the Forbidden City (and I was addicted to series). Most of my friends have been there and I was determined to make the trip happen, even if I have to go there alone. (Some of my friends thought I was very daring to travel to Beijing all by myself). That advice came a little too late as I purchased my flight ticket 9-month ahead of the trip due to promo (Unfortunate MH370 incident happened around two months later). Adamant with my decision, I bought a Lonely Planet travel guide for my preparation and counting the days to September.

Visa is required for Malaysians to enter China. Applied mine through a travel agent in my town with a fee of MYR150. It is advised to apply for the visa a month ahead of your trip and not earlier than 3 months as for tourist visa is valid for 3 months only and it usually takes around 5 working days to process. With Forbidden City being my major motivation to visit the city and of course, the famous Great Wall of China, I was rather unsure what else I could do there. You must think that I'm crazy that I plan to stay for that long then. At the end of the trip, I realised I did make the right decision, even before the trip ended as I underestimated the size of Beijing. I have researched and to find out there were quite a number of places that I could spend my time there. Planned my itinerary, ready with the travel guide including city map, booked my accommodation (faced last minute change due to unavailability of hostel to accept foreign visitors and managed to sort out the night before flying off to the city), converted RMB3000 (MYR1 is approximately around RMB2), I was ready to commence my trip as AirAsia X took off at 6.45pm from KLIA 2 on the 5th of September. The flight journey was around 6 hours.

Landed at Beijing Capital International Airport - T2, done with immigration check and I fell for very first scam. It was totally avoidable and I was very aware that I was in the middle of it but for some reason, I just went along. Walking towards the arrival hall and my intention was to get a legal taxi outside the airport but I was followed by a guy claimed to be official taxi driver. I was ignoring him at first but he was persistent and I walked into the trap, literally, when he showed his card. I was like, "oh, okay." I guess contributing factors include tiredness from long flight and it was late hour so I just agreed to get onto his RMB400-fare to my hostel. (Normal rate is RMB300 for after midnight charge). The worst part is not about the overpriced fare but the fact that the driver can't seem to locate my hostel. Not enough with that, he even asked for more money at the end of my trip. I couldn't care less so I just handed him a MYR10 note as a souvenir (even explained who's the figure on the note) for his keepsake. My very first scam in less than 1 hour after arriving at Beijing. What a way to start my trip.

By the time I reached my hostel it was already 2.30am. Checked in at Jade Hotel which is located at Beiheyan Dajie: 17 minutes walk from nearest subway station (Dengshikou), walking distance to Wangfujing (famous shopping street), Donghuamen (one of the snack streets) and Forbidden City. The room only cost MYR33 per night, 4-bed dormitory with a shared bathroom. With that said, Forbidden City was on top of my Beijing agenda.

Glimpse of chinese imperial setting shall unfold in the next chapter.