Living in China: The Forbidden City and surrounding hutongs

Yesterday we began our day at the Forbidden City, entering through the Gate of Heavenly Peace with the large portrait of Mao hanging on its centre. We then proceeded through one of the 5 doors of the Gate of Supreme Harmony, then crossed one of the 5 marble bridges leading to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the largest structure in the Forbidden City. The vast courtyard was lovely with its old, uneven cobblestones.

We then visited the other two main buildings, which were the Hall of Middle Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Including these three main halls, there are actually 800 buildings, which have been home to 24 emperors for 500 years. Behind the three main buildings were the smaller, but equally beautiful, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Most impressive to me was the gorgeous architecture, especially the design of the old roofs and intricately decorated eves.

We spent the afternoon exploring the hutongs, which happen to be my favourite area of Beijing so far. The hutongs are the old alleyways that meander through the centre of Beijing, with their old door fronts and lovely courtyards. Some are really narrow but others are wider and lined with trees. Some of them have become very popular, trendy areas and have a range of quirky shops along them. One beautiful shop was selling antique porcelain that had been broken up and made into jewelry. The pieces were absolutely gorgeous but were priced at over $2000!

Along the way we passed the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, both beautiful buildings, and we came out at Houhai Lake surrounded by its bars and restaurants. This area gets really busy at night, even during the week. People like to spend the warm evenings outdoors here.