I tried to get up early in order to “beat the crowds” at Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City. My efforts were in vain. 🙂 The tour groups were already out in full force.
Like much of Beijing pre-Olympics, the main two halls were undergoing renovation. They did, however, provide a nice mural of what I should have seen.
Hands down, my favorite part of the Forbidden City were the side halls. These were not crowded, often passed over by the tour groups (which meant no matching hats & no microphones). In some of the ornately decorated nooks, it was just me wandering around.
More photos…
required shot of guard & mao at tiananmen square
detail work
they were here
royal doors
chinese dragon