Day one in China (April 30) started with a 2.5 hour walking tour of the Forbidden City (Beijing). George (in the picture with Phil) was our own personal guide in Beijing. He was awesome and if we can we'll try to use hime again when we next go to China. All he Beijing tourists sites were very busy while we were there as it was a week long National holiday, a time when a lot of people from the more rural area come to the city at this time to do just as we were doing and see the cultural wonders, old and new.
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Check out this web site for more info: The Forbidden City
"The Forbidden City, situated in the very heart of Beijing, was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The construction of the grand palace started in the fourth year of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1406), and ended in 1420. In ancient times, the emperor claimed to be the son of Heaven, and therefore Heaven’s supreme power was bestowed upon him. The emperors’ residence on earth was built as a replica of the Purple Palace where God was thought to live in Heaven. Such a divine place was certainly forbidden to ordinary people and that is why the Forbidden City is so named.
The Forbidden City covers an area of about 72 hectares with a total floor space of approximately 150, 000 square meters. It consists of 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and 8,704 rooms. To represent the supreme power of the emperor given from God, and the place where he lived being the center of the world, all the gates, palace and other structures of the Forbidden City were arranged about the south-north central axis of Beijing."
from http://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/attraction/forbidden-city.htm
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