La Forbidden City, the impenetrable home of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The city within the city, as fascinating for the tourist as sad for its inhabitants, almost "imprisoned" in this golden fortress.
The Forbidden City a Beijing it is a huge set of temples, houses, gardens, bridges, corridors, sculptures and exhibits that tell us about the life of the emperors, completely surrounded by walls that make it appear even more impregnable and austere.
La queue to enter it is inevitable, as it is advisable to start the visit from the south entrance, or from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where Mao's portrait welcomes visitors arriving from Tiananmen Square. It is therefore necessary to go through the security checks in the square, then take the underpass and cross the huge door that already announces the proportions of the city.
In fact, even before the entrance, another very large space awaits us, where you can buy tickets and take, if you want, the audio guide in your own language. Entry to the Forbidden City costs 60 yuen (about 6 euros), with reductions for students and over XNUMX, who pay half. IS' closed on Mondays.
The interior of the walls is of a purplish red, intense, always associated with royalty, interspersed only with beautiful designs and artistic ceramics on the shades of yellow and green. Try not to think of the crowds - more numerous on weekends, but always present as they come from all over the world and from all over China - and enjoy the walk by taking all the time necessary to visit this enormous wonder.
The path can be done always going straight, to meet, after crossing one of the Five marble bridges, the Door of Supreme Harmony and the three rooms: of theSupreme Harmony,Perfect Harmony and Protected Harmony. These are not rooms of palaces, but a palace in itself each ... Then decide whether to go into the side streets, where you will find the rooms of the emperor's concubines and many exhibitions on the Ming and Qing dynasty with their artistic creations in ceramic and not only. Perhaps it is impossible to be able to explore every corner, but you cannot miss the Emperor's garden, where among flowers, tanks with fish and a house built on a pile of stones from other regions of China, you will smell the enveloping scent of peonies and the fascinating flavor of this land.
The reproduction of the first switchboard used by the emperors to communicate with other regions of China is curious. It seems really strange to find something belonging to the last century in a place that seems timeless, to see an dated telephone and photographs depicting switchboard operators at work, it seems anachronistic inside a square built like the courtyard of an ancient temple. But this also contributes to the charm of the Forbidden City, which we do not forget, it remained inhabited until 1924.
To stop along the way you will find many rows of wooden chairs, from where it is pleasant to gaze at the ornaments of the roofs or the painted walls while you rest before resuming the journey. Inside the Forbidden City there are also some refreshment points where you can eat sitting at outdoor tables or, if you want to opt for the cheaper solution, kiosks where you can buy a packaged sandwich, with burgers or chicken and sauces for only 10 yuen (About 1 euro), to eat while walking or sitting on a low wall or on one of the chairs available along the route.
At the end of your visit, reach the northern gate, the Gate of Divine Worth and once you leave the Forbidden City, go to Jingshan Park, just across the road. You will be called by numerous vendors, rickshaw owners who will offer you their tour, and instinctively, among the thousand voices and words in an unknown language, you will turn to look at the Forbidden City behind you. If in this way you will already feel its greatness and immensity after having traveled it for hours, you cannot fail to admire it from above.
Then enter the Jingshan park (entrance costs 10 yuen, about 1 euro) and start climbing the steps that lead to the highest part. The pagodas follow one after the other, the top never seems to arrive, the stone steps mix with the green and the rocks create an ever new landscape, but then, once you arrive, it is impossible not to widen your eyes in front of what turns out to be the most amazing view. The Forbidden City with its roofs and streets stretches out under the eyes of the traveler and only then does one realize how big it can be, how appropriate the name city is. Going down, walk along the moat on the sides of the Forbidden City, to meet shops, restaurants and to skirt its very long walls one last time.
