Beijing, August 2010: Forbidden City, White Cloud Temple

The Imperial City, or the Forbidden City, is found at the center of modern day Beijing. It was established by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty between 1406 and 1420. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty emperors continued to govern China from there until the revolution of 1911 which ended dynastic rule in China.
The Forbidden City got its name due to tha fact that commoners were not allowed inside the city walls, and this for 500 year until the revolution of 1911.

The moat surrounding the Forbidden City.

Imperial Garden in the Forbidden City, close to Shunzen Gate, North entrance.

One of the two famous bronze elephants, at the Shenwu gate.

Red balcony.

Roof ornaments on one of the buildings. The greater the number of mythical creatures between the 1st statue (man on phoenix) and the last big dragon, the higher the status of the person living within the building. The emperor's buildings had nine creatures, the maximum number possible. For example, the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City has nine.
Also note the yellow color of the roof tiles in the City. Yellow was the color of the Emperor. The library had a black roof, black being the color of water in Chinese philosophy; water was to protect the books in case of fire.
The buildings in Forbidden City are made of wood, and therefore fire was a common threat.

More rooftops. Notice the dragons at each corner of the center building's rooftop.

Old couple being photographed.

Plaque writing in Chinese and in Manchu language. Manchu was the primary language of the Imperial Court during the start of the Qing Dynasty.

Vat that used to contain water, to put out fires.

In the photos above, various halls and buildings inside the Forbidden City.  

Two  peeing outside the wall surrounding Forbidden City.

Mao and me.

Interesting face.

A replica of the famous statue, Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow. The original bronze statue was unearthed in Wuwei County, Gansu province in 1969. It's and extremely interesting piece, made some 2000 years ago that portrays an anatomically and proportionally correct representation of a heavenly horse that flies, and by doing so, surprising the swallow onto which it has stepped while in air. This statue has become the symbol of tourism in China. I photographed this replica in Beijing's Xicheng district close to a subway exit. It was when I visited the White Cloud Temple.

A bixi, yet another mythical creature, used for supporting stelae.

The three photos above were taken at White Cloud Temple, founded in AD 739. It is still an important Taoist center where long haired monks still live.
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Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) at Lake Houhai.

Houhai Lake.

Beijing ducklings, happy in the water.

Beijing, July 2010: Qianmen, hutongs, Lama Temple, Bell Tower...

Zhengyangmen or Qianmen, meaning Front Gate, built in the Ming Dynasty (circa 1419), is one of the original nine gates surrounding Beijing's Inner City. It's the biggest one of the original nine and one of the very few still standing. It's directly south of TianAnMen Square.

Qianmen's archery tower, seen from Qianmen Gate.

Look at the people queuing to see Mao's body inside his memorial hall building.

Monument to the People's Heroes, Tiananmen Square.

Roof detail along road, Houhai Lake hutongs. Hutongs are the alleyways that criss-cross central Beijing, and offer a very real glimps of what Beijing was like befor the construction boom.

Houhai area bars...

Hutong house doorway.Rooftops seen from the Bell Tower.

The Bell Tower, originally built in 1272, rebuilt in 1420 and in its present form, since 1745.

The 63 ton bell, that used to signal 7 pm in the old days.

Rickshaw ride...

The Drum Tower, accross from the Bell Tower. The drum used to announce time as well.

Lama Temple entrance gate. One of the most magnificient Tibetan Buddhist temples outside of Tibet.
Roof ornaments inside Lama Temple.

Deity statue inside one of the temple buildings.

Tibetan prayer wheel inside. You have to turn it clockwise.

Thangka, Tibetan silk painting, depicting a Buddhist deity.

The Great Wall, Juyongguan

The Great Wall, a must-see for anyone visiting China. Dating back around 2000 years, the Wall stretches from the border with North Korea to the western province of Xinjiang, passing through 17 provinces. The Wall's non-continuous length is reported to be 8851 km. It was built to defend against the invading Mongols.
The stretches of Wall closest to Beijing have been rebuilt. However, other strips have been destroyed by encouraging the usage of bricks as building material as well as for making way for new developments such as roads and highways. Nature has also taken its toll.
I visited a more recent stretch, Juyongguan. It was first constructed in the 5th century, rebuilt during the Ming dynasty and was more recently restored. It is the closest section to Beijing and has been somewhat over-renovated. So much so that little of the original authenticity has remained. Nonetheless, it's part of the famous Great Wall of China.
Also, contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall being the only man-made structure visible from the moon, is a myth.

Crazy traffic jam on the way to the Great Wall.

So much smog that the mountains and the wall were barely visible from the highway.

Some more information about Juyongguan.

The beginning section was extremely crowded with tourists. However, once past the first couple of watchtowers, tired legs and lungs discouraged most from pursuing the steep ascent. The uneven heights of the steps made going up more strenous.

It was extremely hot and muggy.

Snaking through the mountains... The Wall is majestic and awe-inspiring.

I finally reached the top. This stretch of the wall stopped here.

Going back down. Notice the reduced number of climbers.