Beijing Trip Part III (Forbidden City)

We had to make this Beijing trip as complete as we could. It didn't mater if it was only one weekend long, we had to see everything. Up, out and about we shot over to The Forbidden city by cab. We passed the drum towers where I imagined huge drums hanging instead of bells. Every time they would need to have a town meeting, someone would have to scale to the top of each tower an bang the drums, jumping, screaming and nearly deaf from the thunderous sound these men were responsible for calling the town to assemble in the square. And in my imagination the town meetings were held in the courtyard of the forbidden city. And that's where we were.
This is where the emperor had his throne; one of many. He would walk slowly from one building to the next to find the perfect thinking spot. Depending on the day, respite might be in the Hall of Infinite Peace, or the Hall of Eternal Strength. He slowly walked, many steps ahead of his entourage of servants and concubines. Each watched his deliberate steps, on the bridge over the Waters of Supreme courtesy, transfixed. The Emperor would stop; everyone would freeze. He looked up, and after a long pause, where breathing didn't even seem possible, he would comment about the sky, in it's Infinite Blueness of Order. Servants scrambled to jot down his words as perfectly and eloquently as the emperor had said them. Each wrist floating far above their scrolls making sure that each stroke was as perfect as the sky and the sound that left the emperor's throat on the rare occasions when he would take the time to release some words, more poems than prose, into the world.
We were were an ancient Chinese engineer would give his life to be in service of the royal family. We were within the walls of the Forbidden City.

Upon entering the main gates, the city truly is fit for a king

The throne in the Hall of Supreme Peace

The rain from yesterday had disappeared leaving the most beautiful sky.

The anachronism of modern cityscape beyond the ancient walls.

Like something out of a J. R. Tolken book , an Emperor's hobbit hole

The engineers infront of a very large door. I wonder what force is exhibeted on each hinge.

Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go, right?! Pissin' on a national landmark.

Dragon-head drains. Form and function

Ancient trees in the Royal Cocubine Garden

Chinese archetecture

Budah in the Hall of Treasures

Mini landscape from blood coral also in the Hall of Treasures

My favorite Chinese invention, the Equatorial Sundial. In this picture I'm facing north and it's almost 2pm.

We found the Hall of Chinese Replica Clothing and Props, where they dressed me as Emperor

Pat, as a distinguished looking Ancient businessman

They offered Lauren the dress of the Emperes, but she wanted to be a concubine!

The royal upstart servant-guard chalenged the emperor to a battle of KungFu

But eventually in the spririt of modern comunism, we decided to share the throne

At the end of the Forbidden City the gate opens to Tianamen Square, overlooked by a knoble looking MaoZeDong. Remeber, "bu dao Chang Cheng fei hao han?"