This is the famous gate where Mao's portrait is hung. (According to my guide, they replace this painting every year.)
Inside the walls:
I won't bore you with more pictures of buildings (there are plenty elsewhere).
My guide took me to a gift shop towards the end of the tour. The shop was curiously absent of any Chinese people (who, interestingly, made up 80% of the tourists in the Forbidden City). I ended up being persuaded to buy some calligraphy from Aisin-Gioro Yuming, a nephew of the last Emperor Puyi. He was just sitting there, waiting for unsuspecting tourists to walk in. What a way to spend the day.
Oh, and that Starbucks that they had inside the Forbidden City? It was closed after public protest and replaced with a Chinese-brand coffee shop.
From the Seattle Times in 2007:
You got quite a bit put on--and your writing is good; I enjoyed reading it and seeing your pictures.
ReplyDeleteDitto to above.Interesting about Starbucks. I get you could have used a cappiccino after all those lines in Forbidden City!
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