Grandeur and Cold is the Forbidden Palace

To get to the Forbidden Palace Museum （故宫）, you need a comfortable pair of walking shoes, some snacks, a mobile phone charger. Go early and stand in line for approximately an hour. The famed palace is massive and thus aptly named a "city".

The weather was chilly and the sky grey and cloudy (alas) when i got there in early November. November is the beginning of the low-peak season for tourists so it was relatively easier to secure an entrance ticket. Still, there was sizeable crowd that day.

The Forbidden City is home to a succession of emperors of various dynasties over several centuries. The last dynasty is the Qing dynasty. The place is full of palaces with exquisite-sounding names, some of which you may remember if you watched the Chinese drama Zhen Huan Zhuan (Legend of Zhen Huan). Stories abound of the political intrigues of the Court as well as the Harem. And for these, the paid guided tours would be beneficial. I rented the audio accompaniment for about 30 RMB, but frankly it did not offer much informative value.

The entrance ticket covers a number of palaces and includes the garden in the southern part. The last picture shows the aerial map of the City. The walk-through with picture taking was done in 2.5 hours.

Be sure to bring a portable phone charger as my phone battery ran out while i was in the City. Unfortunately, i could not find any electrical socket to charge my phone.

💞Reasons to Recommend: If you are curious or interested in Chinese history and stories of the Emperors.

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Post by Lutelite | Jan 31, 2025