Forbidden City and Tian' anmen Square, Beijing, China

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Liu Feng kindly looked after me during my stay in Beijing. Here we are facing Tian' anmen square.
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The entrance to the forbidden city.
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Tian' anmen square. The slogan on the left praises China and on the right, urges world peace.
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Tian' anmen square.
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Tian' anmen square. In the background on the left is where Chairman Mao rests. On the right is a monument.
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It was about -5°C in Beijing with a bitterly cold wind, so it felt even colder than Harbin where the temperature was -20°C.
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Liu Feng.
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The resting place of Chairman Mao.
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This is the official centre of Beijing, in Tian' anmen square.
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Towards the forbidden city. Some parts of this are 2000 years old, but the majority about 600 years old.
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The most incredible craftsmanship.
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The forbidden city is where emperors and their relatives stayed. Common people were not allowed access.
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This is the main gate. The central exit was reserved for the emperor, the side exists for senior officials and there are another two for others. The man in the centre is Peter, our guide. He spoke outstanding English and had an immense knowledge of history.
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The city itself is huge. Here it is gaurded by a lion.
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It took 100,000 craftsman and 1 million labourers to build the city.
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There are many containers like this to hold water in case of fire. In winter, the pots were kept heated by a fire underneath to prevent the water from freezing.
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Incense burning implements. Usually sandalwood.
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This is a sign of long and happy life.
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A guardian dragon.
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The pots which contained water for use in the event of fire, were originally gilded with gold. However, the gold was at one point scraped off by enemy soldiers. The scrape marks are still visible.
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Absolutely massive stone carvings.
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Everthing has incredible detail.
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The gold can be seen on these brass fire water-containers.
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Massive stone carvings. The original rocks were brought in winter by sliding on ice, and in summer by rolling them on logs.
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Lantern.
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A sun dial.
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This log is typically placed at a door entrance to prevent drafts.
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The emperor typically had 3000 concubines and some of this is the necessary accommodation.
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The emperors favourite concubine once had a dream that a dragon landed here at night. To please her, the emperor ordered this pillow to support the dragon should it return.
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The pillow in context.
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The most beautiful exhibits, like this jade tree, are protected behind glass. Hence the dull picture.
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Blue is typical of the Ming dynasty.
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This is an interesting tree, with two trunks connected by roots. It indicates love and hence is a spot for lovers.
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A species of bamboo which can survive in cold weather.
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