Weather in Beijing: Sunny

Accommodation: Unnamed Courtyard Hotel

Comment: A very cozy courtyard, located in the alley itself is a scenic spot. The elegant room is a little small, but the layout is very delicious. The service is excellent, and the breakfast is rich. At night, they also send a bucket of pickled feet and milk before bed. There are also water dispensers, small Dim sum, coffee makers, and small packaged biscuits in the yard. The nearby transportation is also very convenient, with many scenic spots within walking distance, such as Shichahai, Yanbaoxie Street, Gongwang Mansion, Yonghe Palace, Guozijian, Nanluogu Lane, Gulou, and so on. About 800 meters away from subway lines 2 and 8, recommended for check-in

10: 00am 600 year old Bauhinia City

The Palace Museum in Beijing was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing emperors, located on the central axis of Beijing, covering an area of 720000 square meters. It was first built in the fourth year of the Yongle reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty (1406) and completed in the eighteenth year of the Yongle reign (1420); It is the largest surviving palace style building in the world and the top of the world's five palaces. The other four palaces are the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in the UK, the White House in the United States, and the Kremlin in Russia.

In 2019, as a southern girl, I finally set foot on the land of the north and witnessed the Forbidden City that I have seen on TV since childhood. But what I didn't expect was that I had traveled across five continents, but had never set foot in the northern part of our country. Meeting the Forbidden City was really too late. After staying abroad for a long time, the more one can appreciate the beauty of the East. On that ancient land of China, there is a spirit of hard work that Chinese people have been living and striving for since ancient times.

I stayed in the Forbidden City for more than three hours this time, following the central axis from the Meridian Gate to the Shenwu Gate, and then circling back to the East and West Six Palaces. Although I didn't finish browsing all of them, I still had a good time.

Entering from the Meridian Gate, you can see five White Marble stone bridges. Opposite the bridge is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, commonly known as the Golden Palace. This is the main venue for the Ming and Qing emperors to hold their enthronement ceremony and celebrate major festivals. In front of the main hall is a majestic lion, symbolizing the emperor's supreme power.

The sundial was used in ancient times to calculate time, placing the corona on one side of the main hall, demonstrating the emperor's power to control time.

The central axis includes the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Zhonghe Hall, Baohe Hall, Qianqing Gate, Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Hall, Kunning Palace, Kunning Gate, and Imperial Garden. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Harmony, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony were the main places for emperors and ministers to handle official affairs, while the Qianqing Palace and the Kunning Palace were the sleeping quarters of emperors and empresses, respectively.

You may notice that different animals are carved on the roof of each hall, and the number of sculptures in different halls will also vary. The higher the quantity, the higher the level of the palace, and the people living inside are also very noble. In the palace, hierarchy is strict and symbols of power are everywhere.

The Eastern Six Palaces are neatly located on the east side of the Meridian Line of the Forbidden City, corresponding to the Eastern Six Palaces on the east side of the Meridian Line. The twelve palaces of the East and West, like two armpits, hold the central third palace, thus corresponding to the ancient so-called Ye court. The Xiliu Palace was the residence of concubines in the imperial harem of the Qing Dynasty, including Yongshou Palace, Yikun Palace, Chuxiu Palace, Xianfu Palace, Changchun Palace, and Qixiang Palace (Taiji Palace). Empress Dowager Zeng Cixi resided in the Changchun Palace.

There are various exhibition halls in the Palace Museum, including the Treasure Museum, Ancient Architecture Museum, Watch Museum, Sculpture Museum, etc. Collecting various exhibits from ancient China for thousands of years, it has high protection and research value, and some are open to the public for sightseeing.

Jingshan was first built during the Liao and Jin dynasties and has a history of thousands of years. Jingshan Park is also one of the oldest and most well preserved palace gardens in China. It was once an important part of the imperial palace and was not designated as a park until 1928. Walking out of the Shenwu Gate of the Forbidden City, one can look up and see the Wanchun Pavilion in Jingshan, and the people on the pavilion are also gazing at the nearby Zijing City.

Standing at the highest point of Jingshan Park, people can overlook the full view of the Forbidden City. In the vast Forbidden City, many tourists crowded together in a bustling crowd. Regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter, the Forbidden City will always be the most popular cultural attraction in Beijing.

However, the history of Jingshan can be traced back more than 400 years earlier than the Forbidden City. At that time, the Forbidden City did not exist, and it was not established during the Ming and Qing dynasties. All that was left was the scenery and fresh and pleasant natural scenery here. I hope that Jingshan can always be well preserved, so that future generations can also have the opportunity to experience the natural scenery and cultural charm of our ancient capital in Jingshan Park.

In the 17th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty (1644), Li Zicheng led a 400000 peasant uprising army to attack Beijing. In the early morning of the 19th day of the third lunar month, Emperor Chongzhen climbed to Jingshan and, knowing that the situation had passed, hanged himself on Jingshan.

In 1930, the Palace Museum erected a monument at the eastern foot of Jingshan Mountain, depicting the martyrdom of Emperor Ming Sizong.

In 1944, the Monument to the Three Hundred Years of Martyrdom of Emperor Ming Sizong was erected, making Jingshan Park a famous cultural landscape in Beijing.

There are five square pavilions in Jingshan, with the central peak being Wanchun Pavilion, which is also the highest courtyard in Jingshan, overlooking the scenery of the Forbidden City; On the east side are Guanmiao Pavilion and Zhouguan Pavilion in sequence; On the west side are Jifang Pavilion and Fulan Pavilion, respectively.

The characteristics of Jingshan gardens include tens of thousands of flowers such as peonies and peonies. The four seasons of the year are different, and the scenic park will hold flower exhibitions for the corresponding seasons. For example, in spring, it is a peony exhibition, in summer it is a lotus exhibition, and in autumn it is an autumn chrysanthemum exhibition. The scene of blooming flowers and evergreen pine and cypress should be breathtaking.

Beihai Park is located in the heart of the capital city, and has undergone dynasties such as the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It is still preserved to this day and has accumulated nearly a thousand years of Chinese history and culture. It is the earliest, most complete, and most deeply preserved classical imperial garden in existing history. Beihai Park was built with the inspiration of Penglai Wonderland. Therefore, water bodies occupy more than half of the park's area. The water in the Taihe Pool was originally directly drawn from Yuquan Mountain through the Jinshui River, and since the Ming Dynasty, the pool water has been drawn from Jishui Pond.

In the Taihe Pool, there are three islands: Qionghua, Tuancheng, and Xishantai, symbolizing Penglai, Yingzhou, and the abbot. Lotus blooms on the emerald green lake, and the shadows of nearby trees are reflected in the lake. A Jicui Duiyun Bridge connects the Yong'an Temple Pagoda on Qiongdao and the opposite bank, creating a beautiful and pleasant scenery. The design of water pools and flower and grass courtyards in the garden reflects people's yearning and strong pursuit for the beauty of Penglai Wonderland.

From the west gate of Jingshan, passing through a alley leads to the entrance of Beihai Park. Old Hutong in Beijing was originally under the jurisdiction of the imperial city and is now divided among the people for living. The time flow in the hutong is vastly different from that of the bustling Beijing city, as if preserving the ancient leisure and comfort.

The White Pagoda is a Tibetan style lama pagoda built during the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty. Throughout the Qing Dynasty, emperors devoutly believed in Buddhism and reached its peak during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi. The fourth generation reincarnation of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism reigned, becoming the first person to officially adopt the title of lama. Tibetan Buddhism was widely spread in mainland China at that time.

The stone tablet records that "there was a lama from the Western Regions who wanted to praise the emperor with Buddhist yin and requested the establishment of a pagoda temple to bless the country and the people.". In order to cater to the people's preferences, Emperor Shunzhi built the Tibetan style White Pagoda, which became the holy land of Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Some people describe it as follows: "The Tibetan Lama Pagoda is entirely made of bricks, with a white body and a height of 40 meters. The tower body is in the shape of a treasure bottle, with a rounded upper and lower part that is full of changes. The tower base is a square shaped crescent shaped Sumeru, with two layers of copper umbrella covers. The top of the tower is equipped with a treasure cover, a treasure top, and decorated with sun, moon, and flame patterns. The lower half is like an ancient copper bell cover, with fourteen small copper bells ringing in the wind hanging on the edge. The top is the gilded pearl pagoda, and inside the tower, there are Buddhist scriptures, clothes, and two relics."

In just four lines, a three-dimensional image of a white tower leaps onto the paper, leaving a profound impression.

Every summer, the emperor takes his sons and concubines from the north gate of the Forbidden City to the water pavilion in Beihai Park to escape the heat. During their brief escape from the red brick high walls of the Forbidden City, the emperor and his concubines were not idle either. While avoiding the summer heat, they studied Buddhist legislation and left behind famous Buddhist temples such as Da Xitian and Xiao Xitian, as well as academic venues such as the Jing Xin Zhai.

The Buddha statue carved on the White Pagoda.

The Beihai Park, surrounded by a pool of water, is extremely beautiful, and it is also a great choice to come here for a cool summer. At the same time, one can feel the Buddhist culture and the artistic atmosphere of ancient royal gardens in our country very well. Where is the true 'Penglai Wonderland' in this world? Since we can't find it, why not come and take a look at Beihai Park.

There are many snacks in Nanluogu Lane, including yogurt, Beijing roast duck rolls, and even a Hanfu restaurant. It's really amazing. Due to Lanxi's overjoyed browsing, not a single picture was left behind. But after returning from the park, you can go to Nanluogu Lane to eat some snacks and then take a stroll.

The twenty-four hours under the foundation of the imperial city ended like this.

Tips
The Forbidden City can only be accessed through the Meridian Gate, with exits including the Shenwu Gate and the Dongzhi Gate. To visit the Forbidden City, one should buy tickets online in advance.