Beijing 2002 - Day 2: Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, & the Ming Tombs
Walking along the eastern side of Tiananmen Square
Walking across the road to Tiananmen Square looking at the Great Hall of the People
The Great Hall of the People
Portrait of Sun Yatsen still on display after the national holiday.
View of the entrance to the Forbidden City from Tiananmen Square
Me standing at the north end of Tiananmen Square facing south
The entrance to the Forbidden City
Closer to the entrance
Close-up of Mao Zedong’s portrait over the entrance
The first gate within the Forbidden City walls
Followed by a courtyard with the Meridian Gate at the north end
The Gate of Supreme Harmony
The Hall of Supreme Harmony, looking north
Close-up of the Hall of Supreme Harmony
The Imperial Throne inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony
The Imperial Throne inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony
A male lion bronze statue in front of one of the many gates
Bronze statue of a crane with a view of the Dongcheng district in the background
A building of lesser importance along the eastern side of the Forbidden City
I think this is the other side of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, looking south west
The Hall of Medium Harmony, facing north-west
The Hall of Medium Harmony, facing west
Inside the Hall of Medium Harmony
The Hall of Protective Harmony, facing north north west
Imperial residential quarters, facing north
Close-up of a roof corner
Close-up of roof tiles; more animals indicate an important building
Walkway leading to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to the left (which we didn’t see)
Walkway leading to officials and servants quarters
Approaching the entrance to the Ming Tombs
Chinese national flag flying at the Ming Tombs
The wording of most of the signs provided some entertainment
Exiting the Ming Tombs walking up to the tall building on top of the hill
Stone monument inside the tall building
The view of other tombs in the distance from the top
The vendors at the Ming Tombs; once you express your interest in an item it’s very hard to get away!
The “Spirit Way” on the way to the Ming Tombs
Me standing next to one of the dozens of statues along the “Spirit Way”
A large statue of an elephant
The triumphal arch at the beginning of the “Spirit Way”
The store at the jade factory
The Song He Hotel where we stayed
Wangfujing Street near our hotel, looking north
Wangfujing Street, looking south
Karina, Holly, Josh, Natalie, and myself at a Heineken bar near our hotel
The glass stage at the Heineken bar with bottles underneath
Making our way home after a night out