Adventures in China II - Beijing, Forbidden CIty, Temple of Heaven, Peking Duck (Part 1)
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大家好! In November I head back to the Far East to the metropolis in northern China.. Beijing (北京). This city is also the capital of the People's Republic of China. In this trip I will travel in search of beautiful scenic landscapes as as well as the places of historical and cultural interest. Last of all, I have a side quest of searching for the real authentic Peking Roasted Duck.
Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) / Forbidden City(故宫)
When I landed in Beijing Capital Airport, what surprised me was that the air quality was better compared to what I experienced a year ago. Not very sure what was happening but awesome work China! I figured that I should start off exploring central Beijing before venturing outwards. The first place that I visited was the historical Tiananmen Square and the legendary Forbidden City. Tiananmen was probably well known for the "Tank Man" during the protests in 1989. What struck me was how vast the square was.
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| Tian An Men (天安門) also means Gate of Heavenly Peace |
From the square I made my way through the crowd into the Forbidden City. This is also the largest palace in the world and home to 24 emperors for almost 500 years from the Ming Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty, Today, this site is more commonly known as 故宫 (gu gong) meaning former palace.
Chairman Mao close and upfront
Through this gate I made my way into the Forbidden City. One of the more interesting artefacts I saw was the emperor's throne. It makes you wonder what it was like to be an emperor, sitting on that throne deciding on official matters. The whole tour took me 2-3 hours and be prepared to squeeze with everyone else when boarding the bus to your next destination. I walked to the nearby noodles shop for lunch before heading to my next destination.
Throngs of tourist catching a glimpse of the emperor's throne.
Temple of Heaven (天坛)
The temple of heaven is a complex visited by emperors for their annual ceremonies to Heaven for good harvest. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the temple grounds consist of three main sections. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the Imperial Vault and the Circular Mount Altar. The compound is also surrounded by a huge park where the citizens would come for a stroll or participate in fitness aerobics activities. I love this place as it is located within a park and the temples were beautiful.
Park leading to the Temple of Heaven
The Hall of Prayer for good harvests
The interior of the hall of prayer
Circular Mound Altar, an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones.
Peking Roasted Duck (北京烤鸭)
Peking duck is a famous dish prepared even during the imperial times. Famous for its crispy skin and served with cucumber and sweet bean sauce and rolled in pancakes, the dish is a must try for everyone who visits Bejing! I visited this restaurant called Siji Minfu 四季民福. The food was lovely and the duck carving was great to watch. This is the best Peking Duck I have had but there are also many other Beijing specialities. It's not a fancy restaurant but it's quite central and and has a very nice atmosphere. Be prepared to queue - when you arrive, they give you a ticket and you have to wait until your number is called out.
Duck Carving is done before my eyes.
Well then, thats all for this post, I will be heading to the Great Wall of China and other places of interest in Beijing in the following days. See you then!
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