Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

We spent a good part of the day visiting these two locations, which are right next to each other.  The square itself is comprised of both the flat piece of land you see all  the time in the middle of the square and several major buildings on the outside edge.

The Forbidden Palace next door is actually a palace within another palace and parks.   For centuries few people were even allowed into the outer palaces and 99% of those people never got to go into the “forbidden palace” where only the true royals of the time where allowed.  This complex is immense and it seems to go on forever.  We started at the front entrance and worked our way all the way through to exit at the back where our bus was waiting.  I’m sure glad we didn’t have to go all the way back,

No words to describe the place.  Like the rest of Asia, the government keep these places up and the colors are amazing.  

Just click on a picture to see larger view and get a slideshow

  • Tiananmen Square is a city square in central Beijing
  • 109 acres
  • Monument to the Peoples Hero’s
  • Great Hall of the People
  • National Museum of China
  • Mausoleum of Mao Zedong who founded the Peoples republic in 1949
  • one of 10 largest squares in the world.
  • best known for the massacre  of 1989
  •  
  • The Forbidden City Palace
  • Actually a palace within a palace and park system
  • 7.8 million sq ft of total complex makes it the largest palace in the world
  • Palace Museum located on the grounds
  • Built from 1406 to 1420
  • Opened to the Public in 1925
  • 19 million visitors in 2019
  • Has 9,999 rooms
  • Became UNESCO world heritage site in 1987
  • Market Value of 70 Billion dollars make it the most valuable palace and most valuable real estate in the world.

Tian’anmen Square

Forbidden City Pt 1

Forbidden City Pt 2