Whenever someone mentions to me about the famous Forbidden City, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Disney movie, Mulan. Its probably my most favorite, and perhaps the one where I fully gained awareness of the Imperial Palace. If you don’t know the movie, then maybe you’re way younger than me, but I can assure you, hindi naman yun nineteen kopong-kopong :) haha.

The whole point of going to Beijing for me other than climbing the Great Wall was to be able to enter this place (yung Peking duck naki-join lang sa listahan).Masayang gawin ang bawal di ba? LOL. But kidding aside, it no longer is forbidden for commoners and tourist to enter and explore what once was the Imperial seat of power in China. So prior to the trip, I made sure to book our group a tour of the Forbidden City along with the other places relevant to Beijing’s rich history. (www.itourbeijing.com)

The morning of July 9 was filled with sunshine, and what made it sunnier was having a very accommodating and fun-loving tour guide.

Meet Sunny! (the lovely lady in blue)

She was to be our tour guide for the 2 days of our stay and having been a seasoned guide (she’s been at it for 3 years now) she’s very pro at what she does. She provided us with in depth details about the places we went to and was very attentive to our needs. greeeaaat!

Anyhoo, our first stop was the Imperial city. I personally think that it is very important to begin any trip in China over this place because this is what you learn in history class (which more often than not, hindi mo naman pinapakinggan kasi nakakahilo ung detalye!). This is where you trace the very roots of China’s dynasties, and this is where you can realistically visualize the climatic point in the 1st Mulan movie where the Huns attempt on the life of the Emperor (at least for me and my cousin who loves the movie up to now). But once you see the entire place, you’d realize there’s more to that, so much more that it would take you at least 2 hours to navigate the entire place! At yun ay kung pasilip-silip ka lang and picture-picture here and there.

A little overview 

The Forbidden City was the cradle of imperial politics and administration. The first ever emperor to move into the palace was Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1421). It is given that name because ordinary people were denied entry as it is the imperial residence and the center of the Middle Kingdom. Its purpose lasted until the Qing Dynasty until the founding of the republic in 1919 -Insights Guide Beijing

Before you enter the Forbidden City, it would be wise to check out theTian’anmen Square, the place where major post-dynastic revolutionary events unfolded (insights guide) and where the people of Beijing gather for both festivities and protests back in the days. It is also known as the largest square in the world (and I can attest to that! every side you look ang layo ng mga buildings!) and it also the place where thousands of soldiers and citizens gathered to hear Mao Zedong declare the People’s Republic of China from the Tiananmen Gate. 

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