The Emperor Hotel
Strategically located just a wall away from the Forbidden City, The Emperor Hotel offers easy access to three of Beijing's most famous tourist sites: the Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park. A one-day trip will take you to all of these three places, where you will discover the ancient charm of a city that served as the the country's capital for three successive dynasties.
After you exit the hotel, walk south until you arrive at the Chang'an Avenue. There you will get to the Tian'anmen Square in less than 2 minutes.
Tiananmen Square
On the Tian'anmen Square, the first thing I noticed was the imposing Monument to the People's Heroes. This tall, white-marble structure stands right at the center of the square, celebrating the soldiers who made the People¡¯s Republic of China possible today.
To the east of the monument is the National Museum of China. When I was there, the museum was closed for renovation until 2010. But once reopened, you can expect a real treat, befitting of a culture with a history of over 3000 years.
I then continued walking southward towards Chairman Mao's Mausoleum. Although people may have mixed feelings about him as a person, one cannot deny his dominant role in modern China. On days when it¡¯s open, people may enter to pay respect to this great leader.
At the southern end of the square, you¡¯ll see Qianmen and the Archery Tower. These two imposing structures are the only ancient buildings preserved in the area.
For centuries, the Archery Tower guarded the capital. Enemies who approached the Forbidden City would see arrows raining down from the guards on the tower. Today, the tower no longer serves this function, but it still looks tall and uncompromising.
I then walked back north, but towards the west a bit this time. The Great Hall of the People lies here. It¡¯s generally closed and only opens for top level meetings among officials. Further along, you should see the Chinese national flag. At dawn and dusk, many people gather here to watch the raising or lowering of the flag. I saw it once myself, and really enjoyed seeing the soldiers orderly and graceful movements.
Forbidden City
Now, in order to visit the Forbidden City, simply walk up to Tiananmen Gate and buy a ticket. It opens to the public from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. I won¡¯t go into details about the inside, since there are English-speaking tour guides, maps in English, and English descriptions of the items. So you won¡¯t feel lost inside. But you should keep in mind that today's final destination is Jinshan Park, so you should use the northern gate to exit.
Jing Shan Park
Prospect Hill, or "the Guarding Hill¡±, is at the back of Forbidden City. An artificial project by the second Ming emperor, the hill was believed to protect his empire for eternity, according to Feng Shui. It did not.
Once inside, take the path at the right. In one minute, you will stumble upon two stone tablets and a twisted locust tree among a heap of rocks. This is where Emperor Chong Zhen, the last emperor of Ming Dynasty, met his fate some 300 years ago, after an insurgent force from western China captured Beijing and marched to the imperial palace. The inscription has become somewhat illegible, but between the lines, grief and sorrow mark the tragic destiny of an Emperor who worked assiduously to try to salvage a dynasty wrecked by the corruption and laziness of his predecessors, but acknowledged his failure ultimately and ended his life in dishonor.
Follow the stone steps uphill. The lovely landscape on the way up is like a flattering feat. The rocky path turns and twists. Yellow flowers blossom in the bushes. And along the way, graceful kiosks once sheltered Buddhist statues.
Nothing compares though to the view at the top, the hill unfolding under my feet. The Forbidden City extends colorfully right under my eyes: yellows for the roof tiles, reds for the walls. Everywhere, the halls which housed the heart of a sophisticated bureaucratic machine. People around me were in awe at the panoramic view of the biggest palace complex in the world.
Yet these views are never meant for some, like imperial concubines, and captives of the inner court. In a lifetime, some of the concubines would only see the Emperor once. And when that Emperor died, they were forced to live in one of the rooms around the Garden of Forgotten Favorites for the rest of their days.
These views did not come easy either. It took one hundred thousand men to build the complex, using one hundred million bricks, two hundred million tiles, and hundreds of tons of timber from the southern nanmu trees, trees which would take four years to get here by river and the Grand Canal. Such was the grandiosity of a project designed to celebrate the eternal glory of the Ming Emperors.
True, these views belong to times. Empires only rise to fall, but the complex was meant to remain for eternity.
Returning to the hotel
For such a short distance, you might want to get back on foot. It¡¯s easy. Exit the park, turn left and walk for 5 minutes. When you reach the intersection with Bei Chi Zi Street, turn right and walk for another 5 minutes. Then you will see the hotel on your left. If you want to take a cab, it will only cost 10 yuan. |
