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Had an early breakfast at the hotel and then took subway at about 7.15 am to Tian'anmen Dong station.
Forbidden City (紫禁城)
The Forbidden City was an Imperial Palace complex in the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 square metres. The palace is now administered by the Palace Museum (故宫博物院) (photo below).
The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. |
The Forbidden City was declared as World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1987. |
- After its completion in 1420, it had been the Imperial Palace for 14 Emperors from Ming Dynasty (1368 till 1644) and 10 Emperors from Qing Dynasty (1644 till 1911). The last owner, Emperor Xuantong (known better as Emperor Puyi), was forced to leave the Forbidden City in 1924. The Palace Museum was then set up in 1925 and opened to public in the same year. Incredibly, most buildings and its relics survived during the Japanese Occupation (1937 till 1945) and Cultural Revolution (1966 till 1976).
Entrance Ticket
- Like all major attractions in China, advance reservation is required in order to confirm the entry tickets. Among the many attractions in Beijing, the most challenging is to get tickets to its two museums, namely the National Museum of China and the Palace Museum.
In order to control the crowd, only 40,000 tickets per day are offered to visitors by the Palace Museum. There are three methods to get hold of the tickets:
| Six Steps on How to Reserve E-Ticket(s) Online | |
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| Step 1: Sign in with email and click on "Book Tickets". | Step 2: Select "Date" and either "Morning" or "Afternoon". |
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| Step 3: Decide number of ticket(s) in correct Category. | Step 4: Complete with Personal Information. |
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| Step 5: Select any additional exhibition(s). | Step 6: Confirm Order and Make Payment. |
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Getting to the Palace
- The only entrance into the Palace Museum is through its Meridian Gate. Based on the latest information, there are three ways to get to the Meridian Gate.
- After the security checks, visitors can either visit the Tian'anmen Tower (provided had advance reservation) or visit the 'Imperial Ancestral Temple' or 'Altar of Land and Grain' before exploring the Palace Museum.
- Good route for visitors after watching the flag-rising ceremony. Cons:
- Need to go through a total of 3 security checks including at the subway station, Tian'anmen and the Palace Museum.
- This is a single pathway and visitors are not allowed to return back to the subway stations or Tian'anmen Tower.
- Shorter route of walking just 570-meters outside the palace perimeter wall from this gate to the Meridian Gate compared to entering through Tian'anmen Tower.
- Just need to go through one security check at the Palace Museum. Cons:
- Visitors can only take public buses. No subway station near the Gate.
- Hired cars are not allowed to stop near this Gate.
- Hired cars allowed to stop at this Gate. Also subway station "Jinyu Hutong" station (金鱼胡同站) is located 800-meters away.
- Shorter route of walking just 570-meters outside the palace perimeter wall from this gate to the Meridian Gate. Cons:
- If taking subway, it will be longer route and need to go through 2 security checks at the subway station and palace museum.
| Walk from Tian'anmen Tower (天安门) | |
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| Prior entering Tian'anmen from either "Tian'anmendong" or "Tian'anmenxi" stations, all visitors are required to go through security checks. This is the tightest checks because all bags are required to be opened for physical checks even after the x-ray machines. |
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| Walk from Gate of West Prosperity (西华门) | |
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| Walk from Gate of East Prosperity (东华门) | |
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Security Screenings and Ticket Checks
- Security screening is conducted before the ticket checks. During my visit, barricades already erected pior to its opening hours and many visitors were waiting patiently (left photo below). There were two security screening houses of four lanes each at the courtyard in front of the Meridian Gate, one for those holding individual tickets and the other for holding group tickets (right photo below). Do note that beyond typical items prohibited in museums, items such as selfie sticks, tripods, lighters, spray paints, folding chairs or stools are also not allowed. However food for personal consumption could be brought in.
For foreigners, passport is used as an admission ticket for scanning. Do enter based on the time period selected as I did witnessed several visitors being rejected at the security gate. Visitors who chose "Morning" can enter any time from 0830 hours till 1200 hours, while for "Afternoon" can enter any time from 1100 hours till 1600 hours.
Layout of the Palace
- Due to the restoration projects and regular maintenance, only slightly more than half of the palace area is open to visitors (photo below).
| The museum exhibitions can be categorized into three types, namely "Original Setting Display", "Themed Gallery" or "Special Exhibition". For the ease of categorization in this blog, I have divided this building complex into the following sections. Do click on these sections for more descriptions. • Meridian Gate |
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- The Meridian Gate is the southern and largest gate in the Forbidden City. It consists of five double-eaves buildings connected by a single-eave corridor that constructed on top of a 12-meters high platform (photo below). This superstructure is also known as "Five Phoenix Turrets".
- Special exhibition "The Glory of the Ancient Persia" (璀璨波斯: 伊朗文物精华展)
During my visit there was a special exhibition "The Glory of the Ancient Persia" at the East Wing Gallery of the gate on display from 12 Jan 2024 to 05 May 2024 (left photo below). The exhibition consists of two sections, namely "Beauty of Inclusiveness" and "East-West Communication", and features 216 artifacts from multiple Iranian museums (right photo below).
Following is the photo compilation on some of the various relics in this exhibition (GIF clip below).
Imperial edicts were issued here and also on the first day of the twelve lunar months, the Emperor would oversee at the almanac-issuing ceremony. When an imperial army returned victoriously from battle, it was here that the Emperor presided over the ceremony to accept prisoners of war.
- The Hall of Literary Glory is located in the outer court on far east of the Gate of Supreme Harmony (left photo below). Its usage changed over time from residence of the heir apparent, hosted the grand imperial lectures on Confucian classics to a place where palace examinations papers would be reviewed and marked. This hall is now used as an exhibition gallery.
- Special exhibition: "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: Exchanges Between China and France in the 17th and 18th Centuries" (紫禁城与凡尔赛宫: 17, 18 世纪的中法交往)
During my visit, there was a special exhibition on "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: Exchanges Between China and France in the 17th and 18th Centuries" from 04 Jan 2024 to 30 Jun 2024 (right photo below). The exhibition consists of three sections, namely "The Encounter of the Dragon and the Fleur-de-lis", "The French Landscape in the Forbidden City" and "Chinese Vogue at the Versailles".
Following is the photo compilation on some the relics in this exhibition (GIF clip below).
- The Hall of Military Eminence is located in the outer court on far west of the Gate of Supreme Harmony (left photo below). It was first used as an office for the Emperor, later held religious rites and ceremonies, and gradually became the official imperial publishing house. The present hall now serves as the Ceramic Gallery of the museum (right photo below).
From the QR code on the labels located next each relic, visitors are able to learn more information, either text or audio, regarding the masterpieces. Also in the same App, there is a ranking of ceramics or porcelains based on popularity voted by visitors. Following are the top 5 well-liked items in this gallery:| Top Five Popular Relics Voted by Visitors | ||||
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| No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5 |
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 Celadon Granary Jar with |
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 Celadon Lotus-shaped Zun |
Three Grand Halls (三大殿)
- Known as the Three Great Halls of the Outer Court, these ceremonial Grand Halls are located on the central axis and were built on a 3-tier white marble terrace. The three halls (in sequential order of South to North) are "Hall of Supreme Harmony", the "Hall of Central Harmony" and the "Hall of Preserving Harmony" (photo below).
- Gate of Supreme Harmony (太和门)
The "Gate of Supreme Harmony" is the main entrance to the three Grand Halls (left photo below). Similar to this gate, most buildings in the palace had "hexi painting" (和玺彩画) applied to its surface that was the highest grade of imperial-style decorative painting. Even gold foil was used to coat over the dragons on blue or green background of the building beams which makes them glitters in the sun (right photo below).
The gate is guarded by a pair of bronze lions that are the largest in the Forbidden city (photos below). Each bronze lion reaches a height of 2.4-meters and sits on a 0.6-meter-high copper base. At the bottom of the copper base is a white marble pedestal at about 1.4-meters high. This pair of domineering lions was meant to drive away evil spirits and guard the palace.
- Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿)
The "Hall of Supreme Harmony", commonly known as "Golden Carriage Palace" (金銮殿), is the largest wooden structure within China (left photo below). The heavily glazed hall is 35.02-meters high, 37.2-meters wide and 63.96-meters long. Grand ceremonies like enthronements, weddings, title-conferrals on Empresses and the dispatch of generals to war were held in this hall. Emperor would be in this hall to accept felicitations of his court officials and host banquets for celebrating his birthday, the lunar New Year and the Winter Solstice.
As a symbol of imperial power, the sandalwood throne, standing on a two-meters high platform, is located in the center and surrounded by six thick gold-lacquered pillars decorated with dragons (right photo below).
🎡Fun Facts: Ranks in Ancient Buildings Similar to the ranks on military uniforms, the status of ancient Chinese buildings can determined by its number of statuettes on its sloping ridges of the roof. The highest number of statuettes a building can have is 9 but with one exception on the "Hall of Supreme Harmony". For comparison, the "Gate of Supreme Harmony" has 7 statuettes on its roof (left photo below) while there are 10 statuettes on the "Hall of Supreme Harmony" (right photo below). 
These statuettes are led by a "Man riding a Phoenix" (骑凤仙人), followed by 1. Dragon (龙), 2. Pheonix (凤), 3. Lion (狮), 4. Heavenly Horse (天马), 5. Auspicious Sea Horse (海马), 6. Mythical Lion (狻猊), 7. Wind-and-storm Summoning Fish (狎鱼), 8. Mythical Chinese Unicorn (獬豸), 9. Evil-dispelling Bull (斗牛), 10. Immortal Guardian (行什) and ending with a "Horned Beast" (角兽). According to Qing Dynasty records, the pair of "Heavenly Horse" and "Auspicious Sea Horse" as well as the pair of "Mythical Lion" and "Wind-and-storm Summoning Fish" could be swopped in position at times. - Hall of Central Harmony (中和殿)
The "Hall of Central Harmony" is squarish in shape and located between the two halls (left photo below). It was a 'VIP lounge' for the Emperor to prepare and rest before and during the ceremonies (right photo below).
- Hall of Preserving Harmony (保和殿)
The "Hall of Preserving Harmony" is similar to the "Hall of Supreme Harmony" but in a smaller scale (left photo below). It was used for rehearsing ceremonies, and was also the site for the final stage of the Imperial examination (right photo below).
Note: due to the barricades placed far from the halls, I could not take a clear photo of its interior and therefore had to use the photos taken during my trip in 2009 for the following illustrations.
Three Halls of Inner Courts
- The Three Halls of Inner Court mirrors the layout of the outer court with the "Palace of Heavenly Purity", the "Hall of Union" and the "Palace of Earthly Tranquility" straddling the central axis on a single-level white marble platform.
- Gate of Heavenly Purity (乾清门)
The "Gate of Heavenly Purity Square" is a rectangular square measuring 50-meters wide and 200-meters long from the "Gate of Great Fortune" (景运门) on the east to "Gate of Great Ancestors" (隆宗门) on the west (left photo below). The "Gate of Heavenly Purity" is the main gate to the Inner Court standing at five bays wide, three bays deep and 16-meters high, and a structure with a single-eave roof (right photo below).
Two glided lion sculptures were installed outside this gate (photos below). Interestingly these lions had downward ears and long eyelashes covering half of their eyes that served as 'reminder' to the imperial consorts not to meddle in state affairs.
- Palace of Heavenly Purity (乾清宫)
The "Palace of Heavenly Purity" is nine rooms wide and five rooms deep with a construction area of 1,400 sqaure meters (left photo below). This palace used to be residence of the Emperor during Ming and early Qing Dynasties till Emperor Yongzheng moved his bedchamber to "Hall of Mental Cultivation" (养心殿). The most famous item in this palace is the plaque above the throne that reads 'let the righteous shine' (正大光明). Since Emperor Yongzheng, the plaque had been the storage place for one of two copies of Emperor's edict which secretly appointed the heir to the throne (right photo below).
🎡Fun Facts: Smallest Hall in Forbidden City Do look out for the smallest halls in the entire forbidden city on both sides of the white marble platform where the "Palace of Heavenly Purity" stands. Erected in 1656 during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi in early Qing Dynasty, the glided bronze structure located on the east side is called "Jiangshan Golden Hall" (江山金殿) while the west side is called "Sheji Golden Hall" (社稷金殿). These two identical halls each measures 1-meter by 1-meter wide and 1.4-meters tall, and stands on top of a 1.95-meters tall white marble pedestal (left photo below). Although the Golden Hall is small in size, its structure is extremely complete and exquisitely crafted; even its statuettes can be clearly seen (right photo below).
"Jiangshan" literally means 'Country' while "Sheji" means 'Grain and Land' or broadly 'State Affairs'. The layout of these two halls followed the traditional philosophical concept of "Left Ancestor and Right Land & Grain (左祖右社)". These golden halls were dedicated to the "God of Jiangshan Sheji" where incense was offered everyday until the fall of the Qing Dynasty. - Hall of Union (交泰殿)
The "Hall of Union" is squarish shape with pyramidal roof of single eave (left photo below). Stored inside this hall are 25 Imperial Seals and other ceremonial items of the Qing court (right photo below).
- Palace of Earthly Tranquility (坤宁宫)
The "Palace of Earthly Tranquility" has a double eaves and a hipped roof that is covered with yellow-glazed tiles (left photo below). During Ming dynasty, this palace was the residence of the Empress. However in 1655, it was rebuilt during Emperor Shunzi's reign to be converted into the main ritual place for Shamanism. In 1665, Emperor Kangxi held his wedding ceremony in this palace. Since then, Emperor Tongzhi, Guangxu and Xuantong also held their wedding in this palace (right photo below).
- Commonly known as the "Back Palace" (后宫), this is a cluster of palaces where the woman folks of the Imperial family stayed and was out of bounds to all men, except the Emperor and the other 'men' i.e. the eunuchs.
- Palace of Compassion and Tranquillity (慈宁宫)
The "Palace of Compassion and Tranquility" complex was the living quarters of imperial wives and consorts who outlived their Emperor husband (left photo below). A pair of bronze Qilin can be seen guarding the gate instead of lions. According to Chinese mythology Qilin are auspicious animals of mild temper and long life, therefore they convey the Emperor's good wishes to the elder generation of palace women (right photo below).
The main hall, "Palace of Compassion and Tranquility", stands in the middle of the terrace, and has a double eave roof decorated yellow glazed tiles (left photo below). Now this palace is converted into a Sculpture Gallery displaying the museum's more than 400 permanent sculpture collection spanning from the 6th century B.C. to the early 20th century (right photo below).
- Palace of Longevity and Health (寿康宫)
Located to the west of the "Palace of Compassion and Tranquility", the "Palace of Longevity and Health" is a rectangular compound occupying an area of 8,436 square meters (left photo below). Emperor Qianlong had the "Palace of Longevity and Health" built for his mother Empress Dowager Chongqing (崇庆皇太后) in the first year of his reign. Subsequently, it became the palace exclusively reserved for dowager empresses. After multiple renovations during the reigns of Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng and Guangxu, this palace remained unchanged in its general architecture.
Besides featuring its original settings, the palace also exhibits the relics related to the life of Empress Dowager Chongqing (right photo below).
The main hall of the palace was the ceremonial area for the Empress Dowager where the red sandalwood throne and screen are placed in the centre (left photo below). Directly above the throne is the intricate caisson decorated with a coiled dragon and a hanging metal sphere (right photo below)
Since the establishment of the Palace Museum, the "Palace of Longevity and Health" has been used as a cultural relics warehouse and has never been open to the public. This exhibition restored the original appearance of the style of the Empress Dowager's residence during the Qianlong period and displaying more than 220 pieces of exquisite cultural relics (photos below).
- Palace of Earthly Honor (翊坤宫)
It is one of the six Western Palaces in the inner court and received its current name in 1535 to correspond with the trigram "kun" which represented the "earth" (left photo below). Its east side hall, "Yanhong Hall" (延洪殿), has a plaque "庆云斋" that hung under the front eaves and was inscribed by the Empress Dowager Cixi (right photo below).
- Palace of Gathered Elegance (储秀宫)
The "Hall of Harmonious Conduct" (体和殿) was originally the rear hall of the "Palace of Earthly Honor", but was changed into a cross hall connecting the "Palace of Earthly Honor" and "Palace of Gathered Elegance" during the reign of Emperor Guangxu. A plaque that reads "翔凤为林" hung below its eaves (left photo below).
The "Palace of Gathered Elegance" is the most famous of the six western palaces because the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi lived there for a long period (right photo below). She moved out of the palace when she became the empress dowager upon the death of her husband Emperor Xianfeng.
The palace displayed the original settings of its throne room and bed chamber (photos below) as well as its side chambers (bottom photos) during the times of Empress Dowager Cixi as an imperial consort.
- Palace of Eternal Harmony (永和宫)
It is one of the six Eastern Palaces in the inner court where the imperial consorts once lived (left photo below). This palace has become an exhibition on the 'Imperial Traditional Chinese Medicine' (right photo below).
- Palace of Lasting Happiness (延禧宫)
Made famous by the Chinese TV drama "Story of Yanxi Palace"《延禧攻略》that broadcasted in 2018. This historical fiction was based on the Empress Xiaoyichun (孝仪纯皇后) who gave birth to Emperor Jiaqing. Interestingly she never lived in the "Palace of Lasting Happiness" as a royal consort and it was just a random palace name selected for the drama by the producer.
The "Hall of Lasting Happiness" was destroyed by fire in 1845 during the reign of Emperor Daoguang. A three-story Western-style building, named the "Bower of the Spirit Pool" (灵沼轩), was then erected on the original site during the first year of Emperor Xuantong in 1909. The hall was built on a white marble base, with iron cast and glass walls and floors. When completed, water would be filled into the poll surrounding the hall, so that the swimming fishes could be viewed through the transparent glass walls. However, due to lack of funds, the construction was stopped where this incomplete state remains till now (photos below).
With the help of technology, this crystal palace can be restored virtually showing the intended exterior (left photo below) as well as its basement and top floor (right photo below).
- There are two paid areas within the museum that charges additional CNY 10 each to its gallery.
- The Clocks and Watches Gallery (钟表馆) is exhibited in the "Hall for Ancestry Worship" (奉先殿) (left photo below).
- The Treasures Gallery (珍宝馆) is exhibited in the "Palace of Tranquil Longevity" (宁寿宫) complex. Entrance can be made through the "Gate of Conferring Blessings" (锡庆门) (right photo below).
For visitors who had missed out during the online ticket reservation, depending on its availability, last minute ticket can still be bought by scanning the QR code located outside the entrance gates of these galleries.Palace of Tranquil Longevity (宁寿宫)
- The "Palace of Tranquil Longevity" is a mini-palace with its own "Outer Court", "Inner Palace" and "Imperial Garden", and this complex occupying 46,000-square meters was designed and built around 1771 for the Emperor Qianlong to enjoy his retirement after abdication.
- Nine Dragons Screen (九龙壁)
The Nine Dragons Screen standing at 3.5-meters tall and 29.4-meters long and composed of 270 glazed tiles, it is the largest and best preserved among the three Nine Dragons Screen in China (left photo below). Rumored that one of the tiles was broken in the kiln and part of the missing tile was replaced by a curved and painted wood. Now the traces of this repair are still visible on the third dragon from the left of the screen (right photo below).
Following is the photo compilation of the nine dragons on the screen (GIF clip below).
- Gate of Tranquil Longevity (宁寿门)
After passing through the "Gate of Imperial Supremacy" (皇极门) (left photo below), the "Gate of Tranquil Longevity" is the second gate of the palace (right photo below). A pair of guarding bronze lions stood in front of this gate.
- Hall of Imperial Supremacy (皇极殿)
The "Hall of Imperial Supremacy" is the main hall of the palace measuring nine-bay wide and five-bay deep with double-eaves roof (left photo below). This is the place where the Grand Emperor, the father of the emperor, received ministers and officials. There are four gold-plated dragon pillars in the hall, and an octagonal gold-plated dragon caisson on the top of it, with a throne underneath (right photo below). It is ranked second only to the "Hall of Supreme Harmony".
- Treasures Gallery (珍宝馆)
The Treasures Gallery is located in the east and west side halls of the "Hall of Imperial Supremacy". Following is the complied clip on the cultural relics exhibited inside this gallery (video below).
- Hall of Spiritual Cultivation (养性殿)
The "Hall of Spiritual Cultivation" is a smaller imitation of the "Hall of Mental Cultivation" (养心殿) with a different layout. Similarly, a pair of bronze lions can be seen outside the "Gate of Spiritual Cultivation" (left photo below). The main hall has a throne in the center and an octagonal golden dragon caisson on the roof above (right photo below).
- Hall of Joyful Longevity (乐寿堂)
The "Hall of Joyful Longevity" measures seven-bay wide and three bays deep with corridors around with single-eave roof (left photo below). This hall is a architectural masterpiece during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. The woodcarving ceiling sets off the interior decoration that gives the hall an air of grace and luxury (right photo below).
This is also the place where some of the largest jade sculptures are exhibited (left photo below). One notable masterpiece is the design of "Yu the Great controlling the Floods" that weigh over 5,000-kg (right photo below).
- Bower of Well-nourished Harmony (颐和轩)
Located behind the "Hall of Joyful Longevity", this bower is seven-bay wide and one-bay deep with a single-eave roof (left photo below). Its main hall has a plaque that reads "太和充满" which was inscribed by Emperor Qianlong together with his seal of "Treasure of Qianlong's Imperial Pen" (right photo below)
- Qianlong Garden (乾隆花园)
Occupying 8,094-square meters in the northeast quadrant of the "Palace of Tranquil Longevity", the Qianlong Garden was designed as a private retreat with four courtyards, several elaborate rockeries, as well as 27 pavilions and structures. The "Studio of Exhaustion from Diligent Service" (倦勤斋) is located at the far north of the garden (left photo below). On its right is the "Lodge of Bamboo Fragrance" (竹香馆) constructed on top of a rocky mound (right photo below).
- The Imperial Garden is a rectangular in shape and located at the north of the forbidden city covering approximately 12,000-square meters.
- Gate of Heaven's Primacy (天一门)
The "Gate of Heaven's Primacy" is the south gate of the "Hall of Imperial Peace" (left photo below). According to the "Book of Changes", the name "Tianyi" means "Heaven creates Water" and it also corresponded with the ancient theory of Five Elements that north belongs to "Water". A bronze incense burner stands in the middle of the path towards the gate and a pair of gilded "Mythical Chinese Unicorn" stands at both sides of this path (right photo below). Often mistook as 'Qilin', this 'Mythical Chinese Unicorn' (獬豸) has only one horn and got claws instead of hoofs.
- Hall of Imperial Peace (钦安殿)
The "Hall of Imperial Peace" is a temple for 'Mysterious Great Emperor' (玄天上帝) who is one of the highest-ranking deities in Taoism. Measuring five-bays wide and three-bays deep, the hall is constructed with double-eaves roof on a white marble platform (left photo below). Located in front of the hall is the 400-years old cypress trees where the branches of the two trees were intertwined and artificially cultivated to become a symbol of love (right photo below).
- Pavilion of One Thousand Autumns (千秋亭)
This pavilion is essentially square with a round roof and verandas on four sides (left photo below). It has carved overhanging eaves and multiple angles with the same cross shape and structure as the "Pavilion of Ten-thousand Springs" (万春亭) on the garden's east side. There are 'double phoenixes' design painted on the ceiling of the pavilion, and a gilded dragon in the caisson (right photo below).
- Mountain of Accumulated Elegance (堆秀山)
This artificial hill at about 10-meters tall was made up of stones from Tai Lake which took various shapes. The "Pavilion of Imperial View" (御景亭) sits on top of this hill (left photo below). - Pavilion of Floating Jade (浮碧亭)
The "Pavilion of Floating Jade" was built in 1583 during the Ming Dynasty and its front eaves and building were added in 1732 during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng (right photo below). The pavilion is square in plan, with three bays and a width of about 8-meters. The pool spans a single-hole stone bridge and the pavilion is located on the bridge.
- Glided Reclining Bronze Elephants (鎏金铜卧象)
Located outside the "Gate of Collected Brillance" (承光门), this pair of glided bronze elephants were casted during the Ming Dynasty (photos below). Interestingly the front legs of the elephant are in submitting position "前伏(富)" and its hind legs in kneeling position "后跪(贵)". This unnatural posture symbolizes the wishes for "wealth and good fortune" (富贵象).
- Behind the Imperial Garden is the "Gate of Divine Might" (left photo below). This gate was originally named as "Gate of the Water God" (玄武门), however it was renamed to its present name to avoid a taboo of using the name 'Xuanye' (玄烨) of Emperor Kangxi. This is the only exit from the museum and the Jingshan Park (景山公园) could be reached through this gate (right photo below).
- For ink stamp collectors, there are many stamps available for free in 6 souvenir shops where 5 are located in the museum and 1 just outside the museum on the left of the "Gate of Divine Might". Do refer to the map below for the souvenir shop names (in Chinese) and their respective locations (left photo below). For souvenir book collectors, there is an extra service where 66 unique ink stamps will be printed onto the souvenir book《紫禁城100》for free when the book is purchased at CNY 196 (right photo below).
| 🎫 Palace Museum (故宫博物院) | |
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| Website: | https://intl.dpm.org.cn/index.html |
| Access: | Walk either from Tian'anmen Tower, Gate of West Prosperity or Gate of East Prosperity to the Meridian Gate. |
| Opening Hours: | 0830 to 1630 hours (Nov to Mar) or 0830 to 1700 hours (Apr to Oct) Closed on Mondays. |
| Admission: | General Admission: CNY 40 (Nov to Mar) or CNY 60 (Apr to Oct) Separate Admission to its two galleries at CNY 10 each |
Beijing Baodu (老北京爆肚)
Decided to have my afternoon snack in a local restaurant near the "Gate of East Prosperity" while walking towards the Jinyu Hutong subway station (left photo below). Ordered a local Beijing cuisine of 'Baodu' (爆肚) at CNY 38 (right photo below).
Equivalent to Peking Duck in terms of its popularity, the 'baodu' is made up of various cuts of lamb or beef tripe. It requires the experience of the cook to control the time and heat when blanching the tripe in boiling water. The cooked tripe is then dipped into a sauce made of sesame paste, white bean-curd cheese and a savory Chinese chives flowers paste.Taste was good especially its fulfilling portion of tripe and the savory sesame paste.
| 🍔 京门宫膳坊老北京铜锅涮肉 | |
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| Address: | No. 54, Donghuamen Street, Dongcheng District |
| Access: | Jinyu Hutong Subway Station of Line 8 |
| Operating Hours: | 1100 hours to 2200 hours; daily |
Hefu-Noodle (和府捞面)
Decided to have my dinner in Hefu-Noodle (left photo below). Similar to its Shanghai outlet, the restaurant renovation emphasizes the herbal soup coupled with Chinese scholarly elements (right photo below).
Ordered a bowl of "fatty beef noodles in hot and sour soup" (酸辣汤肥牛面) (left photo below) and a dessert of "papaya stewed tremella fungus" (木瓜炖银耳) (right photo below).
Total cost was CNY 44.90 and the taste of its herbal broth was appetizing.| 🍔 Hefu-Noodle (Ginza Mall store) 和府捞面 (银座店) | |
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| Address: | Floor B1, No. 10F-G, Ginza Department Store, No. 48 Dongzhimenwai Street, Dongcheng District |
| Access: | Dongzhimen Subway Station of Line 2 and 13 |
| Operating Hours: | 1100 hours to 2200 hours; daily |
Back to hotel to pack my luggage and had a good rest early.