The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
April 23 - Beihai Park and the Forbidden City
At the northern end of the Forbidden City is Beihai Park, located mostly on an island in the middle of a lake and crowned by the White Pagoda. For those up to the climb, the view of Beijing from the top is impressive. You can see the proximity of the Forbidden City, our next stop ... after lunch, that is.
Between Tian'anmen Square and Beihai Park is tucked the former Imperial Palace, more commonly known as the Forbidden City. It is a modest spread, covering just 250 acres with more than 890 palace buildings containing 9,999 rooms! Needless to say, it is the largest palace complex in the world!
It is staggering to think that all this -- and the 100,000 people who staffed it -- were all to serve just one man. When you see the extent of the concubine quarters (entered, appropriately enough, through the Gate of Divine Prowess!), you get the sense that it was good to be the Emperor ... REALLY good!
© 2008 Restaurant Doctor
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